And the Meek Shall Inherit
by ArcturusWolf
Summary: Humanity reached for the stars earlier than expected, their colonies reaching out far and wide before the turn of the 22nd century. Yet they had not encountered another alien species; that is, until an exploration ship enters a miscalibrated mass relay and crash-lands in the homeworld of an alien species. How would humanity evolve when welcomed with kindness instead of violence?
1. 01 - A Chance Meeting

A tiny ship shot out of the void in a burst of brilliant blue light. Its thrusters sputtered erratically as it drifted along, barely able to keep the ship's course straight. Little chunks of metal broke off as it sped along, its failing kinetic barriers unable to completely deflect the bits of debris that surrounded it. A shard of metal struck its front viewport, punching a ragged hole into the far-too-thin glass panel; jets of air spurted out, cooling almost instantly into frosty mist in the vacuum of space. On its side, an asteroid-scarred and worn emblem could be seen; three stars in the centre of a split arrowhead of silver.

Still onwards it continued for a few hours. The jets of air had long since stopped, and the thrusters had burned the last of its hydrogen fuel not too long after the air did. As it skirted the gravity well of a gas giant, it began to drift inexorably towards the swirling storms within the atmosphere. A fate that it would have certainly succumbed to – if it had not careened into a methane-harvesting station in orbit above the planet.

The confused owners of the gas station returned to check on why their previously-functioning harvester reported a fault in the production, only to find a mangled starship jammed into the main uptake turbine in it. Wondering who could be so careless (or drunk) enough to pilot a shuttle-sized starship into a methane harvester, he called in a constructor vessel to begin repairs and tow the decrepit vessel away. It was only at the scrapyards that they realised that the crashed vehicle had survivors inside.

And thus began humanity's first contact with a sapient alien race. With a bang, though likely not the kind that anyone would ever have expected.

* * *

Commander Valentina Aleksandrova awoke to find herself staring into the sky. A brilliant pink sky tinged with shades of orange, with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily in the most beautiful sunrise that she had seen. Her limbs felt limp and leaden, unwilling to lift even an inch. Her mind was hazy and unfocused, able to think only of how soft the cushions were beneath her, and how the air smelled of fragrant flowers and delectable fruits. A cool breeze brushed across her face; clean and pure, bearing none of the sulphurous sting of smog that seemed to always linger in the slums of Berlin.

If this was heaven, she would surely start going to church again. Once in a while, perhaps.

"You're awake. _Auri'i valari_," sang a melodious female voice from her right. "We thought that it would be perhaps another tenday before you would awaken, star traveller,"

"Who...?"

Valentina's bed shifted and whirred, pushing the commander up to a reclining position. Her breath hitched for a moment as she saw who had spoken to her.

The elegant lady in front of her wore a magnificent set of clothes. Her luxurious silver robes shimmered like silk that clung to fair, freckled skin, with threads of gold woven into it to depict a simple but tasteful floral pattern. A large sash of red was wrapped around her slender waist, held in place by a golden brooch in the likeness of a four-pointed star on her left hip. Dangling from her neck was a pair of stethoscopes, as ornately decorated as the rest of her ensemble.

A doctor was a doctor. A doctor of a different species, however, was a whole different can of worms. Especially when humanity believed that it was all alone in the galaxy.

The doctor's eyes, partly hidden behind a holographic visor of some sort, were luminous. On top of her head sat a pair of extra ears, triangular in shape and covered in fine blonde fur that matched her hair. One of them flicked slightly as a light breeze tickled it, putting to rest the possibility that it was a mere accessory. To top it all off, three large, fluffy blonde tails sprouted from her rear, each tipped with snow-white fur – and swishing gently from side to side on their own volition.

"Elevated heart rate, dilated pupils. A fight or flight response. You need not worry about Healer Silmaire. She is bound by her vows to not do harm," giggled the doctor – or healer, as she referred to herself. "Now, it's been quite a few days since you and your fellows have crashed on Auri'nala IX. You were quite fortunate to survive. Auri must be watching over you,"

Crashed. The images were fleeting, disjoint and foggy. She remembered her ship being ejected forcibly from FTL at after a malfunction in the ship's mass effect drive. How the front viewport was cracked by a stray meteorite. How they finally resorted to using their EVA suits to continue breathing in the crippled vessel, trying their best to repair it before their air supplies depleted entirely.

"My crew! Did they survive?!" she cried out, sitting up. Or rather, tried to, as a sharp pain lanced through her side.

"Calm down. Your wounds are not yet fully healed," said Silmaire, who gently eased Valentina back into her bed. "If it will put your mind at ease, your fellows that were in the same crashed vessel are all recovering quite well. In fact, they have been asking for you for the last five days. In fact-" her ears flicked slightly, and she glanced towards the door. "-I believe that they are here now, in the primary gardens of this house of life. I assume that you wish to speak with them?"

Valentina nodded. "Very well. I shall take you there. Please keep all limbs on the bed while we are moving,"

The bed beneath Valentina hummed and rose slightly. To Valentina's confusion, Silmaire simply walked towards the door without pushing the bed as a doctor would a hospital gurney; yet that was not truly necessary, for the bed floated along behind her, seemingly of its own volition.

As they passed through the hospital's corridors, the human commander could only wonder about how different things were here. Censers burned sweet-smelling incense that soothed the nerves at every corner; altars of pure white marble sat in alcoves scattered all over the place, bearing gold statues depicting the same four-pointed star that Silmaire had upon her brooch. Instead of dreary white, sterile hallways of Alliance hospitals, the corridors bore windows that reached from floor to ceiling, allowing all to see the magnificent view of the pristine beaches and parklands that stretched as far as one could see. The floors and walls were of pure white marble, polished to a mirror sheen and inlaid with golden leaves and flowers. And instead of electric lights, silver sconces lined the walls and pillars, each one bearing a vivid purple crystal that burned with an almost otherworldly inner light.

Truth be told, the entire place seemed more akin to an ancient temple or a palatial estate than a hospital. A thought that was only reinforced once her bed floated into the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. A single tree stood tall in the centre of the garden, its gnarled boughs heavy with countless luminous purple flowers. Around it was a tasteful arrangement of boulders and stones, covered with bluish-violet moss. Small fountains ringed all of this, interspersed with cushioned benches and small crystal-torches that emitted soft blue light.

"Commander! It's good to see you're okay!" spoke a deep voice to Valentina's right. A tall, muscular dark-skinned man gave her a toothy grin; she could see that he was barely restraining himself from wrapping her in a hug, fraternisation regulations be damned.

"Likewise, Corporal Taylor. How long have I been out?"

"A little over twenty-four Earth days, if my chronometer's accurate. You had us worried sick, Commander. Silmaire said that you were in a critical state, and that they weren't sure that you'd pull through,"

"That bad, was it?"

"Aye, Commander," groused another voice from behind Taylor, with a thick Irish accent. "You had a great big piece of steel, big as a car door, rammed right between your ribs and pretty much got you cut in half. They showed us a photo of it. Wasn't pretty, that. Not sure if the Alliance medics could've patched you up at all, but these Ori-fay-"

"Auri've," Silmaire corrected him, smiling. "We are the children of Auri, the Great Mother,"

"-yeah, what she said. They're honest-to-God miracle workers. Took them the better part of the day to stabilise you, but they got it done anyway. How's the scarring on it?"

"There should be none, as long as we continue to apply the skin-repairing salve for the next five nights. But right now...perhaps it is still not the best idea to have a look," Silmaire said, grimacing a little. "In any case, I must soon attend to High Priestess Vala before her dusk prayers. An acolyte will take you back to your room for your evening meal before sundown. _Auri'la veleth_, star travellers,"

Silmaire curtsied before gliding away gracefully, leaving the three humans to their own devices. "O'Malley, Taylor. What can you tell me about these...Auri've?"

"Well...I'm pretty sure you know for sure that they're aliens. Friendly aliens, and definitely not reptilian," chuckled Taylor nervously. "Never thought I'd say that, heh. I mean, just look at all those films that are made about alien invaders. Anyway, as far as I can tell, they're really religious. And I mean that. Pretty much every one of them wears a four-pointed star somewhere, they never miss a single one of their seven daily prayers, and they consider steaks a heresy,"

"Steaks. A heresy," deadpanned Valentina. "O'Malley, please tell me that this isn't some sort of joke by Taylor,"

"Nay, commander. He ain't kidding when he says that. Killin' any kind o' intelligent life for profit or pleasure is apparently evil in their religion. They looked real horrified when this buffoon here joked about having a steak for dinner, 'cause greens weren't really his thing,"

"Right. Please tell me that Taylor wasn't foolish enough to start a diplomatic incident over your damned need for a juicy steak?"

"I made sure he didn't, commander. Dragged his hairy black arse out o' the revel hall, I did, and apologised 'fore he opened his mouth again," grinned the Irishman, "They thanked me later, but the mention of steaks ruined their appetites. Still, this planet's something else, commander. The revel hall's all glass with a beachfront view that would turn those Brazilians green with envy. Water's warm and clear, and...well, I wouldn't be able to do it justice,"

O'Malley' grin widened, and he slapped Valentina's shoulder lightly. "I ain't a poet, commander. You've got to see it for yourself. When you can move again, we'll see if Silmaire can get us back to ground level again,"

* * *

_Captain Valentina Aleksandrova's personal log. 21 July, 2107._

_By some major stroke of luck, our exploration vessel didn't tear itself apart while going through a poorly calibrated mass relay. By an even bigger stroke of luck, we landed on a friendly planet. And by that, I mean a planet owned by friendly aliens._

_Yes. Friendly. Aliens._

_Nothing at all like what I would have expected. They're friendly to a fault, viewing violence as uncivilised. Treated my injuries and my crew's injuries without asking a single favour in return, citing their belief in the value of all life._

_These Auri've...they're attractive. Unbelievably so. I thought myself attracted to men, but after attending one of their revels on the beaches of Auri'ilith and seeing their women in swimsuits, I'm not too certain about that. God. The way they move is unreal. I'm not even sure how they can be so flexible and graceful with three large and fluffy tails swishing this way and that. But all I can say is that watching them is almost hypnotic._

_Their ears resemble foxes that I've seen on my grandfather's farm. And probably as sharp of hearing too. Last week, they caught Corporal Taylor whispering under his breath that he wanted to stay longer on a planet with beautiful women, and returned the compliment with several visits during the night. I would reprimand him for being unprofessional while on the job, but after seeing him limp out of his room the following night with an unfocused look and silly grin on his face, I'd say that my reprimand would not get through to him any time soon. Not that I could do so without also reprimanding Lieutenant O'Malley too, as these Auri've treated him to much the same...nocturnal visits._

_Truth be told, it might be just the way they are. I've noted during my two-week stay on this planet that the Auri've seem to have a strangely high gender disparity. For every five of their females, perhaps even ten, there was one male. When O'Malley asked about whether they were single or married, he was met with blank and confused looks. The concept of staying true to one partner was completely foreign to them, as was the concept of families of two partners and children. 'All are family', explained Priestess Silmaire. A statement that holds much truth when I saw four mothers living together in one habitation block, looking after a horde of a dozen little ones._

_Still, I can't help but think that something's amiss with Auri'ilith. The planet is too _perfect _to be natural. In perfect orbit in a trinary star system to have a stable twenty-two degrees Centigrade all year round, flora that produced delicious fruit? With not a single animal that was toxic, predatory or otherwise dangerous? A notable absence of pathogenic bacteria, viruses or fungi? Oceans and rivers that were crystal clear, without even a trace of pollution? A distinct lack of high winds, combined with rain that was neither too heavy nor too light? One could almost believe that the planet was artificially climate controlled, and all the creatures placed here by design._

* * *

_Corporal Taylor's personal log. 23 July, 2107._

_It's been an Earth month now since we crash-landed on Auri'nala IX. Rough landing, but can't say that I've ever had a better shore leave._

_Strolling along beaches while eating purple alien fruit that tastes like fizzy strawberries, with free alcohol and parties that go on all night long. And by all night long, I mean all seventeen Earth-hours of it. Music's a bit soft for my liking, but the captain says that might be due to the fox-people's sensitive ears. Makes sense, I guess._

_The captain's ordered us to pitch in however we can, as a sign of goodwill to our hosts. We've been moved to the ground level of their habitation towers to help with farming and forestry work. Not that we do much anyway, seeing as their idea of farming is to drag around a levitating sled and watch their strange biotics strip the trees bare of fruit. I don't think I can ever get used to the idea that they would use those weird purple biotics of theirs to do mundane tasks like picking fruit. Seems like a real waste, but virtually every one of them seem to do things like that with very little thought._

_Speaking of day to day tasks. I might be a shipboard engineer while on duty, but that doesn't mean that I don't remember my groundside engineering training. Those habitation towers of theirs are truly something else. I mean, going up so high that they need pressurisation at the topmost levels? That's a real skyscraper. And to think that they could build it stepped, so that gardens can be planted every nine floors. I'm not even sure how they stop the trees from cracking the concrete beneath._

* * *

_Sergeant Fergus O'Malley's personal log. 15 August, 2107._

_Well. It's finally happening._

_We're heading home._

_The fox-folk's eggheads finally got a communications link with Earth working, based off the recovered comms module from our ship. We've been declared missing for a while now, but thankfully not declared dead. Would be quite awkward to come home and explain to my missus about the fact that I'm still alive. _

_They've also worked out the 'hyperlane' jumps that are needed to get to Earth. I'm a comms officer, not a scientist or navigator – but somehow, I don't think these 'hyperlanes' are the same as mass relays. It doesn't normally take a month to travel to Earth from places as far away as the Attican Traverse, and we're apparently quite close to the Exodus Cluster._

_I'll be glad to be able to see my boys back home again. Still, I'd miss this place and the people too. It's so peaceful here. Like I can sleep at night without a care in the world, and just...float. Yeah, I know, sounds ridiculous and all that. But until you've spent a month or two here, sitting on a pristine tropical beach with a tall glass of fruity liquor in hand, you don't know what the real meaning of peace is._

_I'm more worried though about what might happen in the future. I've seen wide-eyed kids in the slums of London get suckered for all they're worth. What's to say that some gobshite won't try to fleece these good boys and girls of all they got? Or some arse in parliament kicks up a stink, raises a rabble, instigates an incident, and suddenly you've got a war on your hands. _

_Hell, I really hope it doesn't come to that. If there's one thing that's always been true over the years – if old da' wasn't telling tall tales about times before the Systems Alliance formed – it's that war never changes. It's never quick nor clean, and nobody wins anything._

* * *

**A/N:**

Just a yarn that's been on my mind for a while after reading through various Mass Effect stories. Turians invade Relay 314, proceeds to do a planetary invasion, and thus begins humanity's aggressive first contact scenario. What if the first contact was friendly instead? Would humanity end up befriending or betraying them in the future?

**Codex:**

**Auri'ilith**

The home planet of the Auri've species. Auri'ilith is an oddity among planets. Its biosphere is incredibly resilient to change; it does not have any dangerous wildlife, poisonous flora or fauna, or indeed any sort of hazard in the environment. In fact, even the bacterial, fungal or viral life exists as strictly symbiotic lifeforms. The planet possesses no hazardous weather patterns, and its biosphere seems to possess a pleasant climate suitable to all higher forms of life at different latitudes. Some scientists theorise that a precursor civilisation may have engineered the planet to be such; a theory which is corroborated by ancient Auri'vela religious texts, but has no archeological evidence otherwise.

As Auri'ilith is seen to be the body of Auri's firstborn, travelers are advised that littering and the use of profanities are seen as a grave offence and may result in immediate deportation. Zero-emissions controls are enforced over the entire planet, and interplanetary corporations are advised that failing a routine emissions check is grounds for license termination.

Gravity: 1.21 G  
Radius: 8591 km  
Day length: 34 Earth hours  
Orbital period: 7 Earth years  
Surface temp: 22 degrees C

**Species: Auri've**

The Auri've are long-lived mammalian humanoids, whose name literally means 'children of Auri'. Smooth-skinned and built like slender, willowy humans, they possess two triangular furred ears on top of their heads and three tails. The Auri've bear more than a passing resemblance to creatures of Japanese folklore, though they insist that it is purely a coincidence. Auri've possess a psionic link that connects every Auri've alive to each other, allowing them to sense each other and communicate their thoughts just by focusing on one another. Often mistaken for biotics, the psionic abilities of the Auri've are more subtle and protective in nature, allowing them to conjure barriers and manipulate living cellular matter in various ways.

The psionic link also causes them to become stressed when separated from their main community on Auri'ilith for any extended period of time, as isolation quickly begins to set in. This is a fact that is only reinforced by a core tenet of their beliefs, which stresses that all faithful of their religion are one family.

Auri've live for approximately three hundred and fifty Earth years, reaching adulthood at one hundred years of age. For reasons unknown, their ability to produce fertile males is stunted, resulting in poor population growth. Out of fifteen Auri've children born, only one is male; and out of these, only one in five is capable of successful reproduction. For this reason, the population of Auri've remains quite small relative to the Systems Alliance. Even with cloning technology, their slow rate of maturity prevents their population from exploding out of control.

**Auri've Union  
**

While most states may have clerics and priests of one or more religions, the Auri've Union is a church with a state. A theocracy with an unshakable belief in the sanctity of life, the Auri've Union views the spilling of blood in anger as a grave affront to the natural order of the universe. The Priesthood of Auri controls all affairs of state, which it runs with a gentle but firm hand. Personal gain is frowned upon, as the Auri've equate actions benefiting all as the greatest good that any person could strive for.

Due to their focus on the care of their community, the Auri've Union controls very little space in the galaxy. Their exploration efforts cease on the first hyperlane jumps away from their home system. Each of these star systems are heavily fortified, possessing starbases with FTL inhibitors and bristling with untold amounts of ion cannons to guard their borders. These systems, however, are very strongly developed, with many voidborne habitats and space mining stations.

* * *

Edit 26/8/2019

Modified description of Auri've. Should now be clearer what they look like.


	2. 02 - Greet Thy Neighbour

Arcturus Station. The pride and joy of the Systems Alliance, serving as both a military and administrative centre. The place where decisions affecting all of humanity were made, for better or worse. A wheel-shaped fortress where three whole fleets of the Alliance navy were berthed. The strongest bastion of humanity's colonies, ready to respond to any and all crises that may come their way.

Including diplomatic ones.

Ambassador Julien de Lesseps had served the Alliance for twenty-five years. Cajoling the disparate nations of Earth to continue contributing their fair share to the upkeep of the Alliance Navy? Trivial. Flattering the heads of great corporations to continue investing in the exploration of space? Simple. Convincing rebellious colonies that continuing to submit to Earth-based taxation was in their best interests? Child's play. Experience he had in spades, and yet none of it would prepare him for what was to happen that day.

The arrival of a foreign delegation. Not the delegation of some small, far-flung human colony in some backwater star system; but a delegation of a foreign alien civilisation. One that was not so dead or buried as the Protheans that the archaeologists seemed to wax poetic about.

He checked the mirror once again, giving himself another quick once-over. The blue formal suit that he wore was freshly ironed and starched; his chestnut hair was slicked back with copious amounts of hair gel; his tie was straight and had just the right size of knot; the red silk cravat he wore contrasted well with the pure white shirt behind it. All in all, he would say that he looked absolutely splendid, and as presentable as one could be when meeting with foreign dignitaries.

That the old maxim that first impressions were the most important had proven true in his experience.

That it would continue to remain so...remained to be seen. He took a deep breath and turned to face the rest of the diplomatic entourage. A couple of Alliance admirals in their dress blues with medals pinned to their chests. A few representatives from the larger nations in the Earth government. They all wore stony expressions; a method of coping with the anxiety of something as large as this.

One of the Admirals raised a finger to his ear and tapped the earphone attached there. His face flew through several rather amusing expressions; from open-mouthed surprise to grim solemnity, and then resigned acceptance.

"Alright, gentlemen. It's time," he said, glancing to each of them. "Space traffic control has just notified me that the Auri've diplomatic ship _Light of Dawn _has just emerged from...hyperspace...at three million kilometres out from the station. At their current velocity, they are expected to arrive within five minutes. Docking bay A-44 has been reserved for their use,"

Five minutes for three million kilometres. Julien was no astrophysicist, but judging by the hungry look in the American representative's eyes, this was likely an astounding feat. God only knows that the Alliance diplomatic ships hardly moved quickly unless rapidly using up precious antimatter on afterburners.

"Indeed. Well, let's greet our guests, then. I assume that the marines are ready to welcome them aboard?"

The marines in question were arrayed in formation on both sides of a red carpet in the docking bay, three rows deep. Each one stood at parade rest, wearing their best dress blues. "Hmph. As ready as these maggots could be," grunted Rear-Admiral Boris Petrovsky, nodding his approval – though it was hard to tell that he approved at all, given his ever-persistent scowl.

It didn't take long after that to finally see the arriving vessel. A sleek and rounded golden vessel, shaped much like an Earth manta ray, emblazoned with a silver four-pointed star on one side, slowly entered the docking bay. It was smaller than an Alliance frigate; perhaps only barely larger than a civilian freighter. Neither a window nor a cockpit were visible on its outer surface, which was completely smooth aside from the five large thrusters on its rear. In fact, there wasn't even an apparent airlock on the vessel, causing the docking bay's boarding ramp control VI to extend the ramp part-way, and then stall as it was unable to find the usual markers indicating an exit point.

And so an awkward fifteen-minute dance began, with the ramp control VI unable to find the airlock, and the Auri've vessel being forced to gently shift into position to dock. The airlock, as it turned out, was actually on the _underside_ of the vessel, popping out of its base towards the rear, rather than beside the cockpit as was typical on Alliance vessels.

"That certainly could have gone smoother," sighed Julien, watching as their guests finally disembarked their ship and began to walk down the fully extended boarding ramp.

The diplomatic party that came looked almost archaic and ceremonial compared to their clearly advanced vessel.

Three of them wore shimmering white robes, decorated only with violet sashes around their waists and pinned in place by silver four-pointed stars on their right hip. Those ones bore white staves richly adorned with floral designs in silver, topped by crystals that radiated purple light. Their hair was styled into elegant buns reminiscent of roses, adorned by ruby-studded hairpins resembling birds in flight.

Flanking them were two that must have been their diplomatic security. They wore skin-tight matte black bodysuits, over which they wore sleek white hardsuits. Unlike the Alliance's own hardsuits, these appeared to be lighter and smaller, protecting only the torso and legs, leaving the arms unburdened. They wore no helmet, opting instead to wear some sort of targeting visor, like the marine marksmen typically did; but even that comparison seemed somewhat inaccurate, as there appeared to not be a single firearm on them. Rather, both of them had long and narrow rapier-like blades sheathed at their hips, with a device on each that looked curiously like a battery cell where a pommel should be.

The last to arrive, however, was their diplomat herself. She wore a robe of golden thread, embroidered with an intricate depiction of a forest. A censer swung gently from the top of the staff that she held, emitting a pale mist that bore a pleasant and calming floral scent. Auburn hair streaked with silver strands fell in waves to her shoulders; her face was lined and weathered by age, with crows' feet etched quite deeply on the corners of her bright eyes.

A rather different sort of diplomat than Julien was used to seeing.

"_Auri'i valari_, friends," she spoke, in a kindly tone that matched her warm smile. "May Auri light your way, and may you ever walk beneath warm skies. I am Lifesinger Eili'ithia, appointed envoy of the Auri've Union. We come to you today to return your stranded star-travellers, and discuss matters of peaceful conduct between our nations,"

On cue, the three crew members of the crashed _SSV Flying Fish _stumbled out of the Auri've craft, looking rather green. An Auri've stood by each of them, steadying them as they staggered their way drunkenly down the boarding ramp. The captain, a stern-looking woman, appeared to be holding herself together better than the others; though she too looked rather pale and still wobbled on her feet.

"My apologies about their condition. Hyperspace travel can be quite uncomfortable for one who has never experienced it before. Our archivists and enginseers have not yet found a way to make it any more comfortable,"

"I'm quite certain that your people tried their best, Lifesinger," Julien said. "Perhaps we should take this to a more appropriate location? After all, I don't think that such a momentous occasion should be held in a mere docking bay,"

"Of course. Please, lead on,"

* * *

Lifesinger Eili'ithia – or more properly, Auri'vala Eili'ithia in the Auri've tongue – found herself somewhat disappointed by the humans. Her psionic link, being far stronger than the average Auri've, scanned the surface thoughts of the humans as she disembarked the _Light of Dawn_. Where the thoughts and feelings of the Auri've were akin to a lake of still water, calm and tranquil, sensing the thoughts of one among the multitude of humans was like trying to observe a singular drop of water in a rainstorm.

Fear. Hope. Dread. Joy. Disdain.

Like a kaleidoscope of disparate feelings as varied as the colours of the rainbow, the humans were.

Discordant. Chaotic.

It brought little comfort to Eili'ithia to sense some of the more negative emotions among even the ambassadors. The short, tan-skinned and black-haired one in the dark grey formal suit radiated greed so strongly that she felt an urge to rebuke him for such a grave sin. The overweight pale blonde one with a striped red-and-white cloth in a breast pocket was dripping with jealousy and lust, directed towards her bladedancer guards in particular. Last but not least was the military commander of sorts that flanked the whole group, whose dark mind reeked of revulsion towards the thought that there were even aliens in the wider galaxy.

_'Auri'vala Eili'ithia. We sense your distress. Is there something amiss?'_ queried one of her guards through their psionic link.

_'These humans are untouched by the light of Auri. It saddens me to see their unkindled souls so unguided," _replied Eili'ithia. _'Do nothing to threaten them, for they have yet to incite violence. As the Book of Light records in chapter sixteen, psalm twenty-nine, the unenlightened know not of their sins, and it is the duty of the enlightened to light the way to salvation for all. So Auri bade us, so shall we abide by Her words,_"

_'Praise be to Auri,' _chanted the Auri've, releasing a gentle psionic wave that washed over them all, bringing a soothing sensation over the fox-folk. There was much work to be done, and they could ill afford to be at anything but their very best.

It was a good thing indeed that a few of the Lifesinger's acolytes had the foresight to bring hovercushions aboard their ships. Human chairs were designed without tails in mind, and the Auri've's three tails proved to be too much to tuck underneath them while sitting down in the narrow, high-backed chairs in the humans' meeting room. Had they opted to stand, their legs would have long fallen asleep before any sort of agreement could have been achieved; for all the patience that Eili'ithia had built up over decades of teaching younglings the worship of Auri, the glacial pace of progress of negotiations nearly made her want to weep silently in despair after the eight hour session. In the end, the one they called Julien had requested to continue negotiations on the following day.

_'And yet we are still not yet done,'_ thought the priestess morosely as she sipped the cup of aryll tea, relishing the renewed vigour that the stimulant brought to her tired mind and limbs.

Her acolytes had since retired to their quarters to get some rest on their sleeping pads. She, however, still had stacks of notes to collate and communicate to the Conclave back in Auri'ilith. The humans requested much that she doubted would ever be granted.

Migration treaties? No Auri've would willingly separate themselves so far without a Lifesinger to connect them with the rest of the psionic network that bound them together. And for humans to set foot upon Auri'ilith without adhering to the one true faith was heresy of the highest order – well, except for those that did so involuntarily through no fault of their own. No, the borders would remain closed, barring state-approved exceptions.

Free trade? Eili'ithia doubted that the Conclave would ever permit the exchange of anything more than raw materials for anything the humans had. The sacred technology that the enginseers were able to craft with the aetherite crystals found only in their home system was exactly that – sacred technology. The crystals were a gift from Auri, allowing them to delve into the mysteries of the immaterial plane and be rewarded with power from the high energy dimension where Auri dwelt. She forwarded the request regardless, asking for several skilled merchants and administrators to evaluate the possibilities.

She turned over a page, eating a thin block of a deep-fried food that the Earthlings called 'tofu'. It was good that the crashed crew of their exploration vessel forwarded the Auri've prohibition on the proceeds of the slaughter of creatures with souls. The bladedancers at her side would have been quite enraged had they been presented with slabs of scorched flesh. This deep-fried, crunchy yet soft delicacy...the Auri've back home would love to sample it. Perhaps something could be worked out.

The next item on her list gave her pause, and she frowned on recalling the humans' request.

Research agreements.

These humans were so primitive that they still relied on ancient hot fusion reactors to provide power, as opposed to controlled antimatter reactions or the use of aetherite-based generators. They had yet to discover even the most basic of plasma throwers or high-energy lasers larger than point-defence emplacements, and relied almost solely on slugthrowers. Their 'military grade' shielding hardly rated better than a civilian's hostile environment deflectors, and a test of their armour versus bladedancer Zolerith's plasma rapier proved that it would do virtually nothing to stop high-energy particles. The plasma blade simply shattered the barriers and penetrated the hardsuit to the hilt, the blade carving a sizzling gash clean through both front and back.

Would it be considered uplifting a species if they opened the research databanks for the humans' use? Truthfully, even the Conclave could not agree on an answer, but it was virtually unanimous that they thought the humans should develop through their own means. What right did they have to stop life from achieving its fullest potential by making it complacent with given answers? It would be akin to pouring water down a river and expecting it to flow down a different channel.

A warm hand gently squeezed Eili'ithia's shoulder. "Auri'vala, perhaps you should rest," murmured Zolerith. "The next meeting with these humans will be in six hours. I've taken the liberty of warming your resting pad,"

"Perhaps I should. The conclave will let me know of their decision tomorrow," sighed Eili'ithia. "Tell me, Zolerith. What do you think of these humans?"

"Some are good. Some are bad," she replied, shrugging. "As could be expected of a species without the gift of true unity. In their leaders, their divisiveness is concerning, as is their overwhelming avarice. I doubt that even a newborn youngling could miss the signs in any of those representatives. Yet among the common soldiers, I feel that there is potential for greater deeds in them,"

"Oh? Pray tell, what did you sense?"

Zolerith hesitated for a moment, her brows furrowing in thought. Slowly, carefully, she spoke, "The same potential that is sought for in the Dawnbreaker Order. Tenacity. Loyalty. A strong sense of justice,"

Eili'ithia nodded in agreement. "Hmm. Yes. Untapped potential is there indeed among some of them. But without The Gift, their chances of joining the Order's ranks are essentially zero. Still, there may yet be hope for their kind,"

She turned to the miniature galaxy map on her desk. The twelve Union held systems blinked green; a splash of green among the sea of Alliance blue in the lower right quadrant of the map. Yet as large as the Alliance territory was, there seemed to be very few actual planets under their control. Were they trying to claim as many systems as their own, even if they did not inhabit planets within them? Worrisome indeed that this fragmented race exhibited such expansionist tendencies. And more worrying still that they coveted star systems so near to the Union's borders.

Was this simply a phase that their young race was going through? Had they not yet accepted their place in the tapestry of life? The more Eili'ithia thought about it, the fewer answers she had. To even consider existence without the gift of unity was abhorrent to her, and she could not even begin to comprehend how the rest of these humans would act in the future.

"Though the way may be shrouded in shadow, and doubt besets thy heart, fear not, for I stand beside thee. As surely as the suns will rise with each new dawn, thy fears shall be banished when my rays cast them down," murmured the Lifesinger, reciting a passage from the Book of Light.

* * *

**Codex:**

**Aetherite Crystals**

Aetherite was revered as the Gift of Auri by the Auri've. These are purple to violet crystals of seemingly unique atomic structure and molecular composition, resonating in such a way to psionic influence as to tear interdimensional rifts in space-time. The resultant rifts seem to always connect to a dimension with virtually limitless energy, allowing extraction of energy _ex nihilo_, provided that there is a psionic presence that continues to demand energy from this other dimension.

Used in everything from hovercushions to plasma cannons to shipboard reactors, Aetherite crystals are as ubiquitous as fission reactors and chemical batteries in human space.

These rare crystals are considered materials restricted by the Priesthood, and as such attempting to smuggle them out of Auri've space will result in exile and confiscation of all materials owned by a person. Requests by the Alliance to acquire samples of the crystals have been met by immediate refusal.

**Auri've Technology**

While humanity discovered Prothean data caches on Mars and developed along the lines of element zero based technologies, the Auri've Union developed on an entirely different technological track. Their connection to a dimension of positive energy allowed for the development of energy-intensive technologies, such as long-range directed energy weapons, highly effective shielding and powerful ship thrusters. Auri've military equipment tend to incorporate plasma based weaponry, and eschew kinetic-impact weapons as they are deemed 'primitive'.

Due to the absence of eezo in their home system, the Auri've Union uses hyperdrive technology to fling their ships into an alternate dimension before re-emerging at another point in normal space. Hyperdrive breach points are finite in number; pairs of breach points are termed 'hyperlanes'. While nominally not as restricted in FTL travel as eezo-based FTL in the sense of range (they do not require static discharge) nor location (long-range travel does not require the use of primary mass relays), they are limited by speed. Hyperlane travel can take a month or so to cross the entire breadth of the galaxy, while the primary relay between the Terminus Systems and the Attican Traverse may take as little as half an hour to cross a third of the galaxy.

Their focus on peaceful inward development of their society has also led to their engineering focus on developing structures. Auri'vela architects and civil engineers are some of the best in the known galaxy, as capable in the construction of vast spaceborne fortress complexes as they are capable of creating multi-kilometre tall arcologies.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, second part of the first contact. Tenuous peace at best, but let's see where this leads. The next chapter will be a timeskip to get to the main ME part of the timeline, which is the Relay 314 incident and the meeting with the Council races.

Now, for a little bit of housekeeping. For those that read this story and enjoyed it, great, and hopefully you continue to enjoy it. For those that decided to leave a comment in the reviews, cool; I'll read it and respond if I can and if it is appropriate. There are a few types of comments that are completely unwelcome and will be thrown into the nearest black hole, however.

The first is an out-and-out flame. If you have a suggestion, great, let's hear it. Encouragement? Sure, I'll take it. If you picked up a legitimate flaw, I'll hear it out as well, but no promises on making a change. If your comment has absolutely zero literary merit whatsoever, and exists only to insult or belittle, then you can throw yourself into the nearest black hole along with your comment. It's neither welcome nor wanted.

The second type is trying to demand me to change something because it offends your sensibilities or tastes. Suggestions are okay. Demanding a change because you think that 'there are not anime shit anthros in the portraits' is not. Don't like it? Write your own and prove that you can do better. Last I checked, I'm doing this for fun and reimagining a fictional universe the way I see it. A what-if scenario and exploring the possibilities and issues that might arise. If my bosses at work have the decency to _ask _for work to be done (as any good person should), I don't see why I should bend over to accommodate someone who doesn't even write out my paycheck every month.

Now that the unpleasantness is over, let's get to the replies, shall we? Oh, and guests reviews – I'm sorry, but going forward please enter a name if you want a reply. It's a little awkward to reply with 'guest -insert number here-'.

Br2nd66: Yep, devouring swarms, determined exterminators and fanatic purifiers are really crappy neighbours. Or if you somehow started next door to a xenophobic fallen empire...

Bryanchaos3: Yep. Life seeded!

Skywardwanderer: Possible in the future. Would make no sense for them to have the xenocompatibility ascension trait if they haven't encountered sapient aliens before.

Chronos0305: Not quite Fallen Empire level tech. Closer to an advanced start AI with heavy advantage. Offering tech, however, remains to be seen; after all, nobody would gift say, an entire car to a complete stranger. They would have to get closer first and prove their trustworthiness. Including other Stellaris based races might be possible in the future, though keep in mind that imagining a race, constructing a (potential) namelist and basically generating a 'character' for the nation/race is a very time consuming task.

On another note, I found that it was a little odd that the races of the Mass Effect universe stagnated so hard. I mean, the Asari have been spaceborne for literal millenia. That's LOTS of time to make some advanced tech. I guess they thought the Prothean based eezo tech was the end-all be-all of tech.

Coment9: Yep, tall play. If you've never done it before, try Life-seeded one-system challenge as an Inward Perfection empire. Get Voidborne because you need those sweet, sweet habitats, and then maybe expand to one hyperlane jump from home system for a ringworld. It's amazing how powerful a high-development large planet can be.

Mangahero18: Plenty can happen. The sky (space?) is the limit!

PyroSolracIII: Like the Faunus from RWBY. Human in appearance for most part, but extra fox ears and three tails.

HavocHound: The way I see it is that Stellaris is pretty much a love letter to all the science fiction empires out there. Even Mass Effect tech you can say fits inside the Stellaris tech framework – they skipped energy weapons day and went for broke on kinetic weapons, while having access to Warp FTL with a galaxy that's full of gateways. So in that way, Stellaris tech boundaries blur with ME tech boundaries.

AmanoRyo: Humans: -insert Quarrelsome trait here-

VultureKing7: I'm not particularly thrilled with the limit of 3 ethic picks for the governments in Stellaris. I get that it's mainly for balancing reasons because some combinations can be broken, but in terms of reflecting the possible range of ethics in governments and cultures. Consider things like the Aztec Empire, which is probably something close to Fanatic Spiritualist, Fanatic Militarist and slight Authoritarian. That's 5 picks.

The Auri've are, in my mind, Fanatic Pacifist, Fanatic Spiritualist, but neutral on egalitarian/authoritarian. The Genophage one will be tricky; on one hand, they might be horrified by it, but they might also be horrified by the krogan 'might makes right' culture. Quarians will likely garner a sympathetic response, but tempered by the fact that they created the geth. Might be seen as a pride before the fall sort of moment. The geth themselves, though, will be tricky to handle. Will see what happens then. Batarians will definitely garner quite a bit of outrage over the enslavement of living beings.

Guest 2: Cerberus is at its core a human supremacist group. As long as humanity is not lording it over all the other races, they'll be around one way or another. Call me cynical, but people have always justified violence one way or another – perhaps over something as petty as 'they have x shiny object that I don't have, this is unacceptable'. It's happened in the past, it's happening in the present, and I think it'll continue into the future until the end of time.

SmoothedBeast36: Yep, life-seeded with psionic ascension. Species traits are non-adaptive, slow breeders, charismatic, communal, psionic, enduring. As far as government traits go, they're definitely life-seeded, exalted priesthood (Space Pope, anyone?)

DrIvoRobotnik: It's absolutely hilarious when you build super tall as a pacifist empire. You get these star fortresses/citadels with so many defensive platforms that each one has ~60k fleet power, and nothing can remotely come close to them without getting erased instantly. Add to that the Harmony buff to defensive ship fire rate and you're golden.

As always everyone, thank you for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Let your imagination go and write something too!

**Edit 10/09/2019**

Fixed lore inconsistency with regards to sublight travel.


	3. 03 - Intermission: Galactic Letterbox I

_**DIPLOMATIC TRANSMISSION GBR-21071108-X4-R**_

_Attn: Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Sir Archibald H. Blake IV., GCVO,_

_**RESTRICTED – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE**_

Sir Blake,

The British diplomatic contingent following the Alliance diplomatic corps have arrived safe and sound aboard the Auri've habitation dome _Sunset Horizon 3A_, situated on the third moon orbiting their home planet. We have been given quarters of a generous size – perhaps large enough to accommodate another thirty or so diplomatic members, if we were permitted to bring more personnel with us. We share the dome with the diplomats from the colonies and the French, as well as a hundred and fifty thousand Auri've that already occupy this dome. The Russians, Indians and Chinese have been situated in a dome across ours; they mentioned something about underlying tensions between our contingents as being, I quote, "counterproductive to peaceable conduct".

I suspect that someone leaked some sort of sensitive information for them to come to that conclusion. I recall you mentioning that the newspapers had been scrubbed clean of any conflict to present a united front for the whole Alliance, so how did they get wind of our disagreements with our less-than-friendly colleagues? Regardless of how our alien acquaintances found that information, it is perhaps a good idea to ensure that our cybersecurity suites are upgraded again. Whether hackers or the Auri've somehow gaining access to our network, neither situation is acceptable.

In any event. The _Sunset Horizon 3A _is classified as a trade and distribution district. A small city in and of itself, I would say, given the number of people present; and certainly a fresh breath of air compared to London. Or the hab-blocks of Arcturus Station, for that matter, and quite literally so. The Auri've minder assigned to us said that this particular dome is approximately ten miles across, with the half-mile tall habitation spire nearly touching its ceiling. I am not sure how to feel about having only a glass dome between myself and hard vacuum, but I will give the Auri've credit in that they know how to maintain a beautiful environment regardless of where they are.

Our embassy is situated just in front of a forest-like park. One of several inside the dome, actually, but I digress. Travelling to the commercial towers is done by high-speed rail which connects the other districts as well. I have already sent out a few of the younger boys to try and acquire some samples of non-restricted tech in exchange for these 'energy credits'. It appears that our Russian and Chinese counterparts had the same idea, as they reported encountering each other while trying to browse the stock of electronics stores.

Alas, we returned nearly empty-handed, though not for lack of trying. Our Auri've hosts have been quite meticulous in ensuring that whatever we acquired were things that we could produce ourselves, given a few years. At least they were being honest that the stock we were sold were ancient by their standards – apparently, our bleeding edge laptops were outperformed by devices that fell into disuse at least three hundred years ago. Still, they gave us more than a fair price for it, accepting only as many energy credits as it would take to produce the raw materials.

I shall continue to try and learn more about our hosts over the coming months – and possibly years. For the time being, please rest assured that I shall continue to strive to do as best I can to serve the interests of our great nation.

Yours faithfully,

Hon. Ambassador Ronald Crowley.

* * *

**Archivists' Log, M11-776-06-41**

Records of High Archivist Eili'varia, scribe of the Sacred Conclave, Keeper of Memories.

Humanity has accepted our offered hand of friendship, if a little uncertainly. Much like wild corlys pups from the western continents, they sniff cautiously, taking small morsels yet shy away from further contact. My mother, Eili'ithia, now appointed ambassador and Auri'vala of the human homeworld, Sol III, otherwise known as Earth, mentions sensing resentment and distrust among many of the humans that she encounters throughout the day. At least we may be comforted in knowing that there are equally as many that show friendly intentions, and perhaps in time we may call them all friends.

The founding aetherite crystal has been laid in the first Auric temple outside of our home system, on the outskirts of the human city that they call Moscow. Though my mother expressed great distress in being so far away from the presence of other Auri've, the founding crystal acts much like a beacon of hope for her and her attendant acolytes, easing their nerves somewhat. She has also mentioned that the climate of Earth has proven very inclement indeed; so cold that her tails bore icicles if she stepped outside, and her ears chilled to numbness.

Her acolytes who were invited to other regions of Earth complained of the opposite problem, sweating profusely in a city called Cairo with their vestments constantly soaked through with perspiration. The same was mentioned by those who travelled to Singapore, though they also mentioned a choking, polluted smog that made it very difficult to breathe without a purifying respirator. Such variation in climate is unheard of on our part; a fact that must be rectified by constructing a garden-dome around our temple on Earth, post-haste.

Eili'ithia also expressed great dismay upon learning that the industrial pollution of Earth has poisoned many rivers and forests to the point where great swaths of land were now bare and devoid of life. Yawning dust bowls where there was once plentiful farmland, scorched by a merciless sun. Great deserts where salt had risen from the ground to cover the surface. Mountains carved open by mining pits, laying the bones of the earth bare for all to see. Even if their planet was a poor host to their species, unlike our own nurturing Auri'ilith, it horrified my mother to see such abuse.

Let it be noted that on M11-776-06-11, Auri'vala Eili'ithia submitted a plea to the Conclave for planetary-atmospheric restoration devices to be made available for humans. Let it also be noted that the Conclave, after a tenday's worth of contemplation and consideration, has rejected the request as being premature. The effects of such devices on an already-inhabited planet are unknown, and our amenable coexistence with the humans is still tenuous at best without risking a destabilisation of their home planet's biosphere.

Let it also be noted that on this day, M11-776-06-41, freight transport vessel _AUV Stellar Embrace_ departed the Auri'ilith Starbase carrying supplies for the construction of the Moscow Auric temple and garden-dome, as well as holy icons consecrated in the waters of our home oceans. A detachment of sixty elite bladedancers and three blademistresses from the Most Sacred Order of the Dawnbreaker have been dispatched aboard this vessel to ensure their safe delivery.

* * *

_**DIPLOMATIC TRANSMISSION GBR-21090101-RUS-E**_

_Attn: Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Sir Archibald H. Blake IV., GCVO,_

_**TOP SECRET – AUTHORISATION REQUIRED**_

Sir Blake,

It has come to my attention that the security breaches experienced by virtually all nations of Earth regarding the Auri've over the past two years were not caused by anarchist hackers. Nor were they caused by the Auri've Union's own hackers.

The allegations by the returned Alliance personnel regarding the Auri've ability to read minds and project thoughts were not mere figments of imagination.

As you are well aware, the New Year's Eve celebrations can be quite lively – and dare I say, rowdy. And sometimes, they may even get slightly out of hand. On this particular occasion, the Auri've ambassador decided to venture out and join in the celebrations. From the police reports that I have managed to 'acquire', several shady young men decided that they would try to ply the priestess' acolytes with drugs during the celebration. Nearby police officers reported seeing visions, hearing voices and a feeling an overwhelming urge to go to a secluded location in a nearby park, where they found the cluster of three Auri've ladies being slowly cajoled away from the main celebrations by the aforementioned group of youths.

This is where the report begins to get rather strange. According to the report, the men suddenly went rigid, fell to their knees and stared blankly ahead. Their eyes were supposedly unfocused and unseeing, resembling that of dead fish; they emptied out their pockets, revealing that they carried three dozen pills of Hallex and thirty grams of Red Sand between them. Enough to put these men away in gaol for the rest of their natural lifespan. They then collapsed on the ground, unconscious, allowing the police to take them away without any fuss.

None of the alien ladies were carrying anything that could constitute a weapon at the time. Two were carrying their customary priestly staves, but the third was holding an incense-burning censer. Given that they were out in the open, in the back of a celebration no less, I doubt that they would have used some sort of airborne mind-altering agent. Not to mention that I am fairly certain that there could not possibly be any sort of chemical capable of inducing such...precise effects.

The only plausible option, as outlandish as it seems, is that our alien counterparts are somehow able to influence the mental state of those around them. This is consistent with the claims made by Ms. Aleksandrova and Messrs. O'Malley and Taylor.

It is only with the expenditure of significant political capital on my part that I was able to acquire this information. The Russians appear to be keeping this phenomenon under the carpet, so to speak. My source from within their criminal investigations department mentions that the records that I requested were archived under lock and key by order of the colonel-general of their police force. Further requests for information were refused.

Their figures on violent crime is questionable at best, but they do indicate a seventy percent drop in the one and a half year period between the arrival of the Auri've construction materials for their embassy-cum-temple. I am also quite certain that the shipment was also accompanied by a cadre of soldiers acting as diplomatic security – which my fellow diplomats mention rarely seeing inside the Auri've embassy.

Given the accumulated information, I do believe that it is likely that the Russians are cooperating with the Auri've for reasons unknown. Far less likely, but still possible if the Auri've are truly capable of mental manipulation is that the Russian government has been compromised. I highly recommend that we conduct further investigations – discreetly – about this matter. Assisting with upholding the law is admirable, but what if one day one of them were to execute a nefarious plot on our world? The thought of one of them influencing the President of the United States to fire nuclear missiles is horrifying enough, without the possibility that the same might already be possible with Russia.

Yours faithfully,

Hon. Ambassador Robin Ambrose.

* * *

Alliance News Network Monthly – July 2115 – Alliance Technology Correspondent Evelyn Chambers

**JAPAN CONSTRUCTS FIRST HUMAN 'PARADISE DOME'**

The Auri've temple-embassy is a marvel of ecologically friendly architecture. An energy-efficient, self-contained ecosystem with a pleasant climate all year round. At first glance, the theory appears simple – a giant-sized greenhouse containing carefully curated flora and fauna. Yet the difficulty in the design lies in the details. A joint effort between the University of Tokyo, the Moscow State University and Tsinghua University has unlocked the secrets of the temple-embassy's famous garden dome.

Equipped with advanced water and biomass recycling technologies, the eight hundred metre diametre dome in the northern city of Sapporo is dwarfed by the four kilometre wide original. Webs of titanium-carbon fibre composite ensure that the triple vacuum-glass shell stays up, assisted by thick pillars of reinforced concrete. Various plants have already been introduced into the thick, rich soil in the dome's grounds, where growth stimulants will assist them into truly making the paradise dome live up to its name.

"Our knowledge of material science is still not enough to create the monolithic polycrystalline shell of the original," admits Professor Kenichi Yamada of the University of Tokyo's school of civil engineering, "However, with our available technology, this still a very good prototype of what may come in the future. The design is resistant to both extremes of heat and cold, and permits ninety-five percent of solar radiation to enter the dome. One-way polycrystalline polarisation panels allow precise control over how much radiation leaves the dome, resulting in an impeccably stable ecosystem,"

The future appears bright for the fledgling technology. Alliance diplomats state that Auri've are capable of constructing these on their spaceborne habitats, giving spacers a comforting reminder of home. Professor Yevgeny Ilyushin of Moscow State University says that his team hopes that one day the design can be placed in less habitable colonies, to ease the often crushing burden of living on an inhospitable planet.

Ambassador Eili'ithia has expressed her great pleasure in hearing that humanity has succeeded in taking the first steps to "purifying the scars upon the planet", and mentions that perhaps one day some of her more scientifically-minded acolytes may be granted permission to aid further research on the matter by the Union's Conclave.

Read more on possibilities of soil rehabilitation on page 7.

* * *

Westerlund News Network – August 2115 – Special Correspondent Omar Alcubierre

**BRITAIN ACCUSES AURI'VE UNION OF DIPLOMATIC IMPROPRIETY! ALLIANCE IN UPROAR!**

The news of the first human paradise dome was first announced scarcely a month ago, yet it seems that our newest neighbours, the Auri've Union, is all too willing to engage in some less-than-savoury activities. The British prime minister, the honourable Marion Burke, has released a statement that the British have uncovered evidence of manipulation and espionage by their ambassador.

Given that the British are protected by the best firewalls and security vetting policies across all the nations of the Alliance, how is this possible, you may ask? It turns out that the Auri've are capable of reading the thoughts of others just by being in close proximity to them. After a thorough departmental review spanning entire years and a complete examination of diplomatic transmissions, the British Secret Intelligence Service reveals that no departmental e-mails, calls or messages were transmitted to the Auri've. All transmissions were deemed to have remained secure.

Ambassador Eili'ithia admits to having scanned the thoughts of the other ambassadors to acquire an idea about their intentions. She claims that she was unaware that doing so would cause such a negative reaction among humans, given that their own species apparently maintains a 'psionic link' with each other. Does this link also extend to us humans? We at Westerlund news certainly hope that it does not. After all, does anyone want their most embarrassing moments revealed to all and sundry?

Furthermore, the ambassador also claims that she did so to ensure that all parties were not burdened by whatever articles were written into the diplomatic treaty that now exists between the Alliance and the Auri've Union. This manipulative tactic reeks of corruption; who knows how much more we should have gotten out of that deal?

We at Westerlund News call upon the Alliance to investigate the extent of the damage caused by Auri've intrusion into our interests. Our sources at Terra Firma, the bastion of humanity's interests, also expresses their suspicions that there exists more manipulations by the aliens. Who knows what plans they hide beneath their apparently benevolent facade, if they were so quick to intrude into our minds?

* * *

Alliance News Network Monthly – April 2117 – Alliance Diplomatic Correspondent Karen Allers

**AURI'VE AMBASSADOR ASSASSINATED! TERRA FIRMA CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY!**

In a shock move that seemed so outrageous as to beggar belief, the Auri've ambassador Eili'ithia was targeted by a human supremacist terrorist cell.

The ambassador was visiting the residence of the British Royal Family to conclude a conciliatory mission, in order to reassure humanity that the Auri've have nothing but positive intentions in mind. Despite the heavy police guard around Buckingham Palace, a shuttle loaded to capacity with high explosives and covered with copious amounts of military-grade applique armour breached the no-fly zone at 9:57pm. Police officers reported the wayward vehicle and attempted to block its path, failing when the occupants of two shuttles accompanying it opened fire with heavy ordnance and shot down a police vehicle, killing three officers and injuring five others.

Security personnel ushered the VIPs towards safe rooms as soon as the events unfolded, but this evacuation proved to be far too slow. The explosives-laden shuttle crashed into the Victoria Memorial, exploding on impact. The four Dawnbreaker Order soldiers accompanying the ambassador overloaded their personal shields to deflect the majority of the shrapnel, protecting the royal family and the ambassador at great personal risk.

Seeing as the ambassador's entourage was not yet killed, the two remaining shuttles continued on and fired from heavy machineguns without any regard for collateral damage. It took only twenty-five seconds before Alliance marines arrived on the scene and shot dead the perpetrators, but the deed was done. Despite the best available emergency care provided by paramedics, Auri'vala Eili'ithia was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:03 pm. Three of her four bodyguards were also killed, while the fourth is still in a critical condition and may be crippled for life from a serious spinal injury, even if her condition stabilises. Miraculously, none of the bystanders or the Royal Family were injured despite the intense violence of the attack.

"[Ambassador Eili'ithia] threw up a huge purple wall of energy to stop the bullets," sobbed a distraught Princess Katherine, 23. "If they hadn't, and moved away from the rest of our family, I don't know what would've happened,"

The proscribed organisation Terra Firma has claimed responsibility for the brazen assault, declaring its intention to 'keep humanity pure and aliens out of our backyard'.

We at the Alliance News Network express our deepest condolences for the family of those killed. Our sources at the Alliance headquarters indicate that every effort is being made to bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.

* * *

From: Colonel Kevin S. Williams

To: General Mark V. Carlos

Subject: Action on Terra Nova (13 September 2125)

General,

I understand that this mission is as much for us to eliminate Terra Firma as it is to gauge the ability of the Auri've soldiers on the ground. But what I write in this report, I can scarcely put to words. Their style of fighting is completely foreign to us, and we need to find some way of countering it if things go south in the future. Their emphasis on destruction of enemy morale and misdirection is troublesome at best, and utterly terrifying at worst.

Our task today was to eliminate the presence of the last Terra Nova stronghold in Alliance space. For this mission, we were assigned an escort of Sisters of Sunlight as our support. A platoon's worth of medics that doubled as frontline soldiers. When I first heard their ranks, I thought that I somehow fell into a bad medieval fantasy holovid. I don't think I need to say how the troops reacted when I said that they would be working together with some 'paladins' or 'healers-militant'.

We will definitely need some way of reassuring the troops that we are still capable should things go south. Remember the mess that started this all? How Britain was worrying about Auri've mind controlling our leadership or something? And how half of us dismissed it as an impossibility? Well, turns out that it _is _actually a possibility.

These 'paladins' are incredibly potent with their mind powers. They forced enemy combatants to collapse while clutching their heads and cowering in fear, still muttering about nightmares hours after being taken into custody. The ones manning turrets and machinegun emplacements shot at targets that apparently only they could see, shrieking in terror as they ran their weapons red-hot to the point of catastrophic malfunction.

A couple of times the insurrectionists managed to ambush us in their mountain base. Those two-handed swords that the paladins carried weren't just for show. God, those things are war crimes in a portable package. Armour provides absolutely no protection against blades coated in superheated plasma at nearly the same temperature as a spaceship thruster's exhaust. I know how upset they are about the murder of their ambassador; it's a bloody miracle that they restrained themselves enough to only chop off limbs instead of heads or worse. It took doctors cutting torches and auto-saws to remove the molten scraps of armour from the prisoners' flesh. I'd hate to see what would happen if they decided to hit more...sensitive parts of the anatomy.

For what it's worth, at least the cuts are instantly cauterised. I don't know if that's merciful or what, but it does make sure that no prisoner dies of blood loss before medical attention can be given.

In any event, we now have seven hundred insurrectionist prisoners in the brig. We've even had to convert a warehouse into a makeshift prison as there were not enough cells for the prisoners. Truthfully, we only expected to bring in thirty or forty alive after breaking their morale. I honestly don't know how useful they will be, as most are now gibbering nervous wrecks. Come to think of it, I don't think it will even be possible to try them at all when all the dust settles from destroying Terra Firma, unless they somehow recover from their madness. These prisoners can hardly walk into a dark room without breaking down into terrified wails and screams, let alone testify in front of a courtroom.

* * *

Alliance News Network Monthly – January 2132 – Alliance Diplomatic Correspondent Gareth Archer

**AURI'VE UNION OPENS DOORS - BILATERAL MIGRATION TREATY SIGNED**

After twenty-five years of hot-and-cold contact, the Auri've Conclave has finally decided to open its doors to humanity. Citizens of the Systems Alliance – as well as any of the Earth nations – are permitted to migrate into Auri've space. The reverse also holds true, with Auri've permitted to settle on any Alliance-held world.

"This is a historic moment," says the French representative, Louis Delaunay. "For years, we've been restricted by far too many border controls. I've had many petitions from my fellow citizens who wish to visit our vulpine-tailed friends' beautiful homeworld ever since the photos of it started circulating in the Internet. It is good to hear that years of good relations has finally borne fruit and trust has grown strong enough between our races to allow this to a limited extent,"

Research limitations have been relaxed somewhat as well. Auri'vela biotechnology in the fields of agriculture, soil and atmospheric rehabilitation have been made available for our scientists to study. While it may be decades before we may make use of it on a large scale, it is reassuring to know that the possibility of utilising the barren wastelands in our colonies may yet be possible.

Trade, however, is still limited to basic materials, raw foodstuffs and bulk compressed helium-3. The Auri've are reluctant to release any of their most advanced technologies, citing that each race should be 'allowed to blossom on its own in the magnificent garden of the infinite cosmos'.

Prospective visitors to Auri've space are advised that travel to Auri'ilith, their homeworld, is still restricted to those who profess to adhere to the Auric faith. Aetherite crystals remain a Class 1 restricted substance, and attempting to smuggle them out will result in permanent expulsion from Auri've space as well as a substantial fine.

* * *

Illustrious Senior Healer Sil'maire,

It is to the understanding of the Conclave that you have requested to be relieved of your duties to the Sisters of Sunlight in order to proselytise among the humans on their agri-colony named 'Benning'. While we will miss your expertise in the healing arts, we understand that forty cycles of service may leave one somewhat drained of inspiration and in dire need of renewal.

It is also to our understanding that your request was also motivated by personal reasons. While we do not, and will not, intervene in personal relationships, we request that you contemplate this course of action further. Your amorous attachment to a human may prove to be quite short-lived. Recall that they were not granted the gift of a lengthy life by the Great Mother; their childhood lasts but only six cycles to our twenty, and that their twilight years begin scarcely after twenty-five. Venerable Auri'vala Eili'ithia - may she find peace in Auri's divine embrace - was still quite sharp of wit and quick of mind at a hundred and thirty cycles, even if her body was beginning to slow down.

But should you choose to persist, we shall accept your decision. We shall grant you transportation to Benning, and the planetary Sun Temple shall also know to provide you with a place at their hearth. To honour your cycles of commitment to the well-being of our people, you will also be provided a stipend every tenday.

Please be careful among the humans. They view our gift of unity as an infringement of their rights, and I have no doubt that more than a few of them still harbour ill will towards our kind. Recall what occurred to my own mother as she tried to forge peace between us and them; she offered an open hand of friendship without any reservations, yet they replied with a barbarous barrage of bullets and explosives!

Due to the London Accords, we cannot discern their true motives easily while in their space. Stay vigilant, and do not allow complacency to cloud your judgement. The Conclave has seen fit to deploy a dozen blademistresses and a regiment of bladedancers to each Sun Temple, and should you find yourself needing protection, they are under orders to defend the followers of Auri to their last breath.

Auri'la veleth, sister. May the sun ever light your path, and may you walk in its warmth for the rest of your days.

Scribed on M11-785-03-22 by High Archivist Eili'varia.

* * *

_Chief Master Sergeant Fergus O'Malley's personal log. September 25, 2134._

She said yes.

She bloody feckin' said yes.

Took quite some time to find a ring that I think would fit her well. Took even longer for me – and quite a few glasses o' ale – to scrounge up the courage to ask. Only took me twenty seven years or so, but I did it. I asked a woman if she would marry me. Suck on that, Taylor, you little black gobshite! Who's the one who can't hold a girl down now, huh?

Anyway. Who would've thought that I'd hitch up with the blonde fox-lady that patched our crew up when we crashed all those years back? Getting posted as a guard for the Earth embassy of our alien friends was the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, aside from being discharged after twenty-five years of service, of course.

I'm fifty-two now, and if it weren't for the gene revitalisation program that the Alliance eggheads cooked up, I'd be wearing a wig to cover up the shiny bald patch on my head. Still sucks that I'm not as quick or fit as I used to be, but beggars can't be choosers. My fiancee looks practically unchanged since the day I woke up on Auri'i-whatever, though. Some of the less informed folks at the pub where I proposed to her thought that I was a scummy cradle robber. But if anything, she's the cougar in our relationship – got a century and a half on me in age.

Who would've thought she was just over two centuries old? Looks pretty darn good for her age, that's for sure. Some folks back home would give their eye teeth to age that slowly.

When I asked her about what ceremony she wants to do, she giggled and said to follow whatever I chose. Apparently they just get it on if they wanted to, pop a kid out if it comes to that, and the children are looked after by everyone. Wouldn't that be nice, not having street rats begging around every street corner?

Speaking of street kids, there's been fewer of them ever since the Sun Temple was built in Joughin. The priesthood of Auri takes them in and looks after them, teaching them to read and write. Like how the church fathers used to do, according to my da', if the priests would tend gardens in their spare time.

Anyway. I'd better get the hoverbed in here. Auri've take up a _lot _of room on a bed, and my single one isn't going to fit us both. Seems a bit funny, using a round bed that looks like a giant floating pancake; but if they're anything like the ones in the temple gardens, they're practically dust repellent and make you feel like you're resting on the clouds of heaven.

* * *

M11-786-01-45 (November 11, 2140). Chronicles of Healer Primus Sil'maire of the Benning Sun Temple

The days and cycles whirl by like a passing breeze. It seemed scarcely yesterday that Fergus proposed to me at a human tavern that I and he be bonded in love, for ever until the day of our return to Auri's embrace.

The human custom of marriage brings me equal parts joy and grief. It is not in our nature to remain with only one bonded, for love is sacred to the Great Mother and it pleases her to see it abound in the world. Yet it does bring a certain warmth to my heart when he caresses me so tenderly, whispering all the sweet words of devotion. As selfish as it sounds, it pleases me to know that he would not say them to any other.

I look after three of the Sun Temple's younglings as part of my duties, and they view us as their parents. I know that Fergus cares for them deeply as he plays with them and tells them tall tales to entertain them. Yet behind the smile that he wears, I sense the deep longing he has to have children that were truly his own. It gnaws at him, slowly but surely, much like a spreading pestilence that threatens to snuff out his happiness. So much so that I need not consciously delve into his mind to feel it.

I prayed to Auri for a sign. I asked my sister-priestesses in the Temple for guidance. They recited that no matter how insurmountable a task appears to be, there shall always be a way. That even mountains can be brought low by the steady trickle of harmless water. So long as my faith does not waver, so shall Auri come to my aid.

And aid did come, indeed. It baffled the seekers of knowledge among both the humans and my own kind, yet indisputably I am somehow with child. And that child is mine and my human bonded's. The other healers have taken cell samples from my growing child in an effort to understand how such a miracle could have occurred.

I pray that their efforts will eventually bear fruit.

Praise be to Auri, the giver of life.

* * *

**Codex:**

**London Accords**

A supplementary treaty that covers the behaviour of any Auri've within human space and in diplomatic meetings. They are not permitted to scan the minds of any humans without permission, regardless of whether that scan is cursory or thorough. Though humanity admittedly still has no way of directly knowing if an Auri've is reading their minds, the Auri've Union's Conclave has issued a declaration that though humanity is not blessed with Unity, their minds and bodies are their own, and that reading their minds without permission would be tantamount to an invasion of their mind. Thus, all Auri've travelling into human space or treating with human diplomats must be mindful of how far their psionic influence extends.

**Paradise Dome**

The act of terraforming a planet can be a daunting task that some might call impossible. On planets with breathable atmospheres, the sculpting of mountains and adjustment of the hydrosphere is a monumental task, and on planets without breathable atmospheres, bringing in sufficient gases seems nearly a logistical impossibility. The Paradise Dome represents a small-scale terraforming effort, creating a controlled ecosystem contained inside an artificial dome. Native soils are stripped down to bedrock before construction begins, replaced by enriched foreign soil with copious amounts of moisture-regulating compounds. Water extractors and recycling equipment ensure that water loss is minimal, and advanced air filtration equipment regulate the composition of air inside the dome. One-way polarised film coats the entire dome, ensuring that there is control of just how much solar radiation leaks out of the dome.

Human domes are largely relegated to being leisure parks and nature preserves, while Auri've domes are typically built with subterranean living quarters and a central spire that acts as both a support structure and an arcology. Due to differences in material technology advancements, Auri've domes are constructed of monolithic polycrystalline quartz ceramic reinforced with carbon nanowires, while human domes rely on thick hexagonal glass panels with titanium frames. This gives human domes a faceted look compared to the Auri've's smooth round one.

**Auri've Religious Orders**

As the Catholic Church had religious orders in its name, so does the Church of Auri. Some of these are purely civil orders, serving in roles such as healers and itinerant preachers but others are fully fledged military orders and serve as the law enforcement and soldiery of the Union.

The two largest orders are the Dawnbreaker Order, the Sisters of Sunlight.

The Dawnbreaker Order is the military arm of the Union. Though violence is seen as uncivilised and abhorred in Auri've society, it is known that at times there can be no other alternative. The members of the Dawnbreakers fight so that others do not have to. They uphold a strict code of conduct, harming no innocents and always attempting to neutralise hostiles without inflicting permanent harm where possible. Due to the Auric worship of life, members of the Dawnbreaker Order are celibate. 'Death cannot beget life', as the saying goes. Dawnbreaker bladedancers and blademasters wear mostly black, with only a silver Auric symbol on their hardsuit breastplates as colour.

The Sisters of Sunlight are an order of healer-priestesses and mendicant preachers. Eschewing personal gain and (relative) comfort, the Sisters of Sunlight live simply, taking only as much as they need to survive and giving the rest to those who need it most. A deeper connection with Auri grants these priestesses an almost uncanny ability to know how to treat grievous wounds and injuries. Though every Auri've believes the taking of a life for material gain is abhorrent, the priestesses take a sacred vow to never hurt a living sentient creature to heart. They will never pick up a weapon, even if it will mean their death. They wear vestments of white and silver, representing the purity of life.

It is noted, however, that wherever a Sister of Sunlight goes, one can be almost assured that a Dawnbreaker is nearby.

* * *

**A/N:**

I feel that giving a straight timeline loses quite a bit of impact, story-wise. It seems so impersonal and clinical that we would be losing the various viewpoints of factions and characters, and the subtleties of change as the years pass. Not to mention a dry and boring read. I felt that a series of loosely connected sequential letters would better serve as both entertainment and a way to show how the dynamics change as years pass.

**Now, on to reviews...**

coduss: Well, given that psionics in vanilla Stellaris are pretty much worshippers of the four chaos gods...at least these guys are more benign, even if zealous? -suddenly gets stabbed by a blademistress- OKAY NOT BENIGN!

Fokusas: Sensing emotions would be akin to reading someone's body language for a species that has the ability to interact with each other mentally. Knowing their flaws would require deeper insight – and with a species not blessed with psionics, this would be equivalent to an invasion of their privacy. Not that a species that interacts with each other mentally would know that of course.

Coment9:

Knightly orders. I see them more along the lines of the Knights Templar or Hospitaller orders.

Regarding space combat and ground combat, I would say both would be in. I don't know the exact mix just yet. However, I can say that I'm not particularly fond of writing slugfests where it's just paragraph on paragraph of action without end. Exciting at the beginning, but tedious and boring if overdone.

With regards to AI, it boils down to the age-old conundrum presented by Legion. "Does this unit have a soul?" They are non-organic, and constructs of code and circuitry, but the ability to think and reason beyond simple commands and subroutines is a critical hallmark of true life. Will that be sufficient to define them as having a soul? I'm not so sure.

Alliance will definitely stick to kinetic weapons. It's largely to do with the fact that kinetic weapons generally take less power (even less when Mass Effect is considered) than particle-beam or plasma projector weapons, and the Alliance doesn't have any equivalent to zero-point power or extradimensional power yet. That, and Alliance military doctrine focuses more on long-range battles than close-quarters battles. Kinetic weapons suffer less at range than energy weapons of any type, due to a lack of dispersion at range.

AmanoRyo:

Frog people want to get their sticky mitts on everything. Bring flypaper and bait!

Creaper210

Yeah, it's almost always a case of turians invade, human vs turian slugfest. I wanted to do one where humanity engage in a peaceful first contact with the first alien race they encounter, and see how it develops from there. Cerberus is a product of that hostile first encounter, entrenching xenophobia as a thing in a large section of humanity.

Relay 314 incident will still happen though, as the turian propensity for violence acts as a foil to the pacifist reasoning of the Auri've. It will also allow for further exploration of how the races would interact with each other.

I'm afraid that I don't have the DLC for the Lost Amoeba story. I should go and read about it.

TheBSDude:

Thanks for picking that out. It's been fixed.

British Vulture:

You'd have to ask Paradox to reintroduce army equipment, lol. I always thought of Psi Corps people as literal Jedi and Sith, so I just see them as folks with lightsabers.

'These are not the soldiers you are looking for'. -army runs away with low morale-

Anyway, about pacifists, they're not exactly weak. They get a bonus to stability, which means every worker of theirs produces faster; and because they tend to have 'taller' planets, a lesser amount of investment into infrastructure results in more output. Harmony extra fire rate on defensive wars, and the fact that you have fewer systems to defend (you have more star fortresses to empty systems ratio) and you can make an aggressive empire's invasion fizzle out pretty quickly. Bonus points if you go Space Ming and go inward perfection with a celestial emperor/empress.

DragonMaster150:

I'm glad you enjoy the story.

RandomReader:

Yep. I've had a few reviews that point out that it doesn't follow gameplay mechanics. I don't intend to follow either one exactly, but will use the world building of both as a base. Gameplay mechanics tend to be skewed towards balance anyway, which leads to very bland options.


	4. 04 - Future Imperfect

The frontiers of space were ever expanding. Cycle after cycle, the Systems Alliance pushed back the veil of the unknown with its dozens of exploration vessels. Relays were unlocked with abandon, revealing systems full of untapped resources yet to fuel the hungry industries of the Alliance. Claims soon followed, staked out by colonists both private and government-led. For twenty-five solar cycles since the migration treaty was signed, the Auri've Union had cautioned the Alliance against such wanton expansion, warning them that much of their space was empty and undeveloped as it were. Unchecked greed was the root of suffering, after all.

Their cautions, however, fell on deaf ears. To the Union's consternation, the Alliance's secular government often disregarded the wisdom of their holy books. Profit was often the sole purpose of many humans, and the unquenchable thirst for more and more luxuries fuelled the rampant expansion of frontiers. Worlds that could barely be considered habitable were colonised regardless, requiring vast quantities of goods to support the colonists. The whims of investors then took their tolls on the already hard lives of those on the frontier, leaving many barely scraping by on what meagre rations and scraps of supplies they could.

What few merchants that passed by half-deserted starports brought little in the way of much-needed medical supplies and life support equipment, and those that did arrive often sold items at grossly inflated prices. Inevitably, desperation won out among the colonists, resorting to violence and crime to acquire the goods they needed.

Thus, the churches of Auri frequently turned into de facto centres of order in these often lawless frontier worlds. Sun Temples, where all could find refuge and healing regardless of class or wealth, were considered to be neutral ground. Individual factions could air their grievances without reprisal. Their gardens supplied food year-round when merchants could not or did not provide. Those who could not afford medical aid would be tended to for free by healers, provided that one of the Sisters of Sunlight had time.

However, for all the resources made available to them by the Union, there was only so much the priestesses could do. The more advanced materials from Auri'ilith were screened out by treaty restrictions, and there were only so much that each temple's molecular fabricators could create from what was grown within the Sun Temples' garden domes. For every man or woman treated for illness or injury, two more would take their place before they even left the dome's grounds. There were no organ cloning vats or healing-stasis vaults that they could use to treat larger numbers of patients, much to the frustration of the Sisterhood.

In the meantime, the Conclave had not remained idle. The unchecked expansion of humanity worried them greatly. The cosmos was vast, and it was nearly certain that innumerable other species lived elsewhere within their own galaxy. The ruins of those that came before proved that there were great civilisations in the past. Some so advanced that the creation of nurturing mother-worlds was but child's play to them. The humans proved that there were other civilisation in the present capable of travelling the great void. Given the two facts, it was not a great leap of the imagination that at least one other species in the galaxy could also travel the void and lay claim to star systems.

Hence, it was only a matter of when – not if – the humans' expansion would eventually bring them into conflict. And at that time, the Auri've inside human territory would need a safe haven to retreat to without having to wait for the tenday-long transit delays between Benning and the Auri've core systems.

Thus, the Union purchased a system from the Alliance. Only two hyperlane jumps from Auri'ilith, shrouded by a dense nebula to block remote scans. One 'secondary' mass relay in the system connecting to a transitory system nearest the frontier of Alliance expansion. Three rocky planets orbiting a binary star, two of which were molten from being too close to the stars and the third being a very large but frozen planet. Six gas giants beyond the triple asteroid field rings around its core, mostly of helium.

For only the modest sum of five hundred million tons of space-grade alloys, payable over ten solar cycles. True, it was a significant portion of the Union's industrial output for the duration of the deal, but to safeguard the future of the children of Auri, no price was too great. Broken goods could be remade, sold goods recreated – but lives lost could not be taken back.

The human ambassador had privately confided his bewilderment to Auri'vala Nirya'el, the replacement of the late martyr Auri'vala Eili'ithia, that he wondered what the Auri've saw in a system with no apparent value. Survey scans only revealed basic minerals in the asteroids, and while the gas giants had ample supplies of basic fusion fuel, developing infrastructure would still take twenty solar cycles, according to their experts. Perhaps even thirty. It did not even have a planet suitable for colonisation!

Well, perhaps that long for a newly spacefaring species without factory habitats of their own. The frozen planet was only so because it was but a caring mother yet to be awakened by the careful touch of planetary laser scalpels. A shroud of optimally balanced atmospheric gases would resolve the breathability issues, and a judicious dose of plasma would help to thaw the planet's glaciers to both warm it and to introduce water to the environment. The rest could be taken care of by the planet's molten core, opened up just enough so that its warmth would be shared until the end of time.

Seven hundred and fifty billion energy credits and twenty years of meticulous work, and the Auri've colony of Caer'ilith was finally established. Harsh mountain ranges were resculpted to gentler slopes, while frozen glaciers were melted to form oceans of pure, clean water. Planetary core convectors tapped into the molten mantle to heat the atmosphere to a pleasant warmth at all stages of the solar cycle. Matter recombinators had combed the surface to transform barren rock to fertile soil, followed closely by bio-sages who carefully seeded the virgin soil.

It was a monumental task even with the concerted efforts of the Auri've Union, and one decried as impossible at the outset by the Systems Alliance. The coffers of the Union were all but depleted by the end of the project, both by the cost of operating the planetary scalpels and the sheer amount of energy input needed to restart the planet's hydrologic cycle. The importation of greenhouse gases and a radiation-absorbing upper atmosphere required the use of virtually all freighters in the Union's employ, and even some private gas tankers rented from the Alliance when that proved too slow.

But on seeing the end result – when the humans asked them if it was worth the time and effort; if it was worth the blood, sweat and tears shed in kindling the light of Auri in another planet devoid of life; the only answer that Nirya'el could give was 'yes'. And if they refused to believe it, then seeing the marvels of a masterfully crafted planet would soon turn their minds.

* * *

The planetary capital of Caer'ilith, Dawn's Embrace, was sculpted from a mountain that was specifically spared from the touch of the planetary scalpel. Twenty-seven tiers rose from its base to its peak, carved from the bones of the earth itself. Each one rose fifty metres high, circular in shape and presenting lush gardens and parks nearly a kilometre wider than the tier above. Behind the rock walls and beneath the lush surface lay the homes and livelihoods of those that lived within the city.

Atop its summit, a grand temple to Auri's glory rose so high as to appear to touch the sky. From its central spire, one could see the meandering bay that stretched out into the sunset to the west, as well as the plains and rolling hills beyond to the east. Meadows of luminous violet dreamgrass stretched on for as far as the eye could see, dotted with stands of seedlings yet to grow into mighty forests. Gentle waves lapped against beaches of pure white sand just beyond the piers of the sole harbour in the bay, where civilian ships brought in harvests of edible seaweeds and glow-kelp that grew upon the seabed.

In the lower five tiers of the city, fields of amber grain rippled in the gentle breeze. Humans, unaccustomed to living in underground homes and towering arcologies like the Auri've, built small settlements above ground while retaining the prebuilt subterranean arcades and vaults as extended storage spaces. It is in one of these homes that an aged and weathered Fergus O'Malley found himself, spending the twilight years of his life within a world so much like the one that had captivated him fifty years ago.

Nursing a glass of the first batch of local ale, he watched as the suns began to dip below the horizon. Through the years, he'd seen many things. Worked his way up through the ranks of the enlisted men of the Alliance military. Became an explorer on a vessel. Crash-landed on an alien planet after a botched mass relay jump. Healed by his future – and now current – wife. Became a diplomatic escort for their diplomats. And now, a father to three young children – though 'young' truly was subjective in this case.

Oh, what he would give to age so slowly, the Irishman chuckled. His wife had acquired a few wrinkles on the edges of her eyes and on the corners of her lips, but otherwise remained quite radiant despite the passage of time. His son, the eldest, was now sixteen years old, yet looked the part of a nine-year-old. The same could be said of his twin sisters, born a year after him. Humans aged so very rapidly in comparison, though the Auri've healers mentioned that even his children were aging far more quickly than a normal Auri've did. To think that the pure Auri've would go through puberty eighty Earth-years into their lives, and that it would continue for another twenty!

All three had inherited the tails and ears of their Auri've mother, but had his blue eyes. Their hair and tails ranged from bright gold to a dark auburn. Only time would tell if the new generation of mixed-species children lived as long as their fox-like parent, or if their lifespans would be only slightly longer than humans. Physicians both human and Auri've were watching their development carefully, preparing for the incoming hundreds of thousands that would sooner or later reach maturity in the coming years.

A soft and fluffy tail curled around his leg, and he felt a familiar weight settle on the back of his chair. "A credit for your thoughts, cherished one?" murmured Sil'maire into his ear.

"Just thinking about the future, love," he replied, giving her a peck on the cheek and a gentle rub on her ears. "We've come quite a long way, haven't we?"

The retired healer nodded and settled into the hovercushion beside her bonded. "Indeed, we have. Auri blessed us with children, even when the cosmos would say such a thing would be impossible. And it seems that many others have been blessed as well. The future appears warm and bright,"

"Ah, just like the sunsets here. This planet is a far cry from Benning's sweltering heat. I know how often you'd complain of the heat and stickiness of that dustbowl at times. This feels almost like the days that I spent back in Auri'ilith,"

Sil'maire giggled and leaned in to her husband. "The Conclave's entire attention was focused on the creation of this world. They were thoroughly meticulous in their efforts to create another great mother planet. I doubt that they would have settled for anything less than perfection,"

"Aye. That much is true. Still...how are the lad and the two lasses doing? Are they still making trouble for the priestesses?"

"Of course. Would they be your children if they did not?" the fox-woman replied playfully. "In truth, the priestesses are actually relieved that they are less energetic than our ordinary young. Their faster maturity is proving to be quite a boon. Especially since they stopped trying to levitate fruits and paint walls with a new form of modern art,"

Fergus winced. "Oh, don't remind me of those days, love. I still remember how sore my arms were after scrubbing the walls clean. Their first psionic outbursts were like the times that they found they could pick things up and throw them. At least they have that under control now,"

The two of them then sat and watched the sunset in companionable silence. As the shroud of brilliant purple nebula began to illuminate the night sky, Fergus felt himself nodding off to sleep. Things were just so...peaceful. The revellers in the tavern next door were laughing and giggling, the only sound other than the gentle whisper of cool breezes.

If only moments like these could last forever.

* * *

"Signalman Vakarian. Report," rumbled Karis Oraka, the shipmaster of the _HSV Syphax_. He stood stiffly at the bridge of his ship, talons clasped behind his back. The bored glances that his crew were sharing with one another did not go unnoticed. It had been at least five weeks since they had started their patrols of this Spirits-damned backwater sector, and the patrol had gone the same way as it had for the last ten or so times. Not a single pirate ship or smuggler freighter to be seen. In fact, not even a single other ship to be seen other than their fellow patrol fleet members.

There was a reason, after all, why the outer rim of Council Space remained a frontier. Most of the systems here were desolate, containing nothing but poor minerals and mostly methane gas giants. No garden worlds to settle on, and definitely no reason for any Vol Protectorate-backed corporation to underwrite an expansion in such a far-flung region of space.

Yet as empty as it was, the Hierarchy still claimed ownership of this particular stretch of space. And ownership meant operations to 'show the flag', so to speak. It wouldn't do for some Terminus warlord to set up base inside a Council system, no matter how unpopulated it was. Especially a system that was a 'gateway system', with multiple mass relays in it.

"Commander Oraka, sir. I'm picking up readings that shouldn't be correct. Relay 309 should be the only one that's active in this system, but Relay 314 is active and stable,"

A beat of silence fell across the bridge as Oraka processed what Vakarian said. "Confirm what you said, Vakarian. I'm sure that I misheard you. Relay 314 is active?" spoke Oraka, his mandibles widening in surprise.

"Affirmative, sir. Relay 314 is active. I'm also picking up thruster wake from what appears to be a frigate-sized vessel that is near Relay 329,"

"Spirits. All hands to general stations! Weapons batteries, charge main gun to five percent power! Full speed ahead!" barked Commander Oraka. His talons flew across the console's haptic interface has he frantically attempted to connect to the Hierarchy communications channels. "This is Commander Oraka. All members of Hierarchy Seventh Fleet, we have a code blue emergency in the Alpharus system. An unknown vessel is tampering with Relay 329. Relay 314 has already been activated, likely by the same vessel. Intercepting with Patrol Fleet 117 to try and prevent the opening of Relay 329,"

By the time the patrol fleet arrived on site, the unknown vessel was moving in a circular path around the relay. Periodic bursts of radio activity followed by one of the mass relay's rings spinning up and then stopping again indicated exactly what it was trying to do. To start up another mass relay, without fully examining what lay on the other side.

The ship itself was blocky and ugly. Bulky angular plating covered much of its surface, looking more like a set of haphazardly bolted-together metal boxes with thrusters on its rear rather than a proper ship. Oraka doubted that this ship could even stay stable in orbit, let alone be capable of atmospheric flight like the Hierarchy's own sleek and deadly frigates.

"Vakarian. Send through a notice to cease and desist, and to prepare their ship for boarding and seizure," ordered the ship commander. "They are in contravention of Citadel law, and they must be lawfully brought into-"

A streak of blue flashed past the viewport of the commander's ship. One of the ships in his patrol fleet had fired a shot without the order to fire, and the shot had found its mark in the blocky vessel's midsection. A large chunk of ship plating broke off, superheated by the sheer amount of kinetic energy dumped into it. "I did not issue the order to fire!" shouted Oraka angrily, "Which foolish son of a varren wants to be scrubbing the latrine for the next twenty days?"

For a blocky ship that was damaged quite badly, the unknown vessel moved rather quickly. Relay 314 was only half a minute's distance at the speed of the _Syphax_, and the unknown vessel was moving nearly half again as quickly as Oraka's own ship. It did not take long before the mass effect tether of 314 latched on to the ship and flung it into the void. "Well, shit," Vakarian muttered. "I hope that we didn't just spark something because of an overly eager gunnery officer with an itchy trigger finger, sir,"

"Not another word, Vakarian. Not another word. Navigation, set course for Relay 314. We will find where that ship came from,"

* * *

It was a rather surprised starport harbourmaster that answered the distress beacon as it arrived in Caer'ilith. They had not been expecting any supply or transport shipments inbound from the mass relay side of the system for at least another week. More surprised still was he when the maintenance drones towed in a crippled exploration vessel, _SSV Flying Fish II_. Bored through by a high-calibre armour-piercing shell, the ship was leaking atmosphere at an alarming rate. The element zero core's shielding had ruptured and the ship's emergency FTL jump certainly hadn't done it any favours. Thankfully, that damage did not extend to the fission reactor onboard. There wouldn't have been much of the ship, let alone the crew, if the reactor had gone critical and detonated.

The surviving crew spoke of being surrounded by a group of five alien frigates while activating a mass relay. A blademistress of the Dawnbreakers confirmed what they said after a quick scan of their minds. She then excused herself, saying that she needed to inform the other Order members of potential escalation of the incident. Not a single man present needed to be told that meant that the starport defences would be activated for the first time since its construction.

The human harbourmaster pinched his brow and exhaled loudly. His Auri've partner was quite vocal about the dangers of exploring so brazenly in the galaxy – and now it seems her worries had come to pass. "Detain the crew and impound the ship," ordered the harbourmaster. "Contact the human embassy on Caer'ilith about this incident. No Alliance vessel is permitted to leave or enter the system until this mess has been sorted out,"

It took less than an hour before the starport's scanners indicated activity around the mass relay again. This time, it was a group of five frigates with unknown IFF signals. "Tal'rissa, set the transmitters to broadcast on all channels," he spoke. The Auri've signals operator nodded and tapped a few buttons on the holoscreen in front of her. "Attention unidentified vessels. You are trespassing in sovereign Auri've Union space. Identify yourselves,"

No response came. "This is working, right?" he whispered to his partner.

"Yes, it is in perfect working condition. You have just used it scarcely half an hour ago to hail a freighter,"

"Fine. Unidentified vessels, you are trespassing in sovereign Auri've Union space. Cease your movement towards the starport immediately, and identify yourselves,"

Still no response. "Send the drones out to get a clearer image of what these unidentified contacts are,"

"Harbourmaster! We're picking up twenty-thirty-forty—h-holy shit..."

"Sweet mother of God," murmured the harbourmaster. More than fifty new contacts had appeared on the starport's sensors. And more than half of them were the size of cruisers.

Admiral Coryphus Drusus was a stern and proud turian. Strong and rigid of bearing. The ideal image of a high-ranking turian of good stock, if he said so himself. Who better to judge the quality of a character, than a highly decorated member of the third citizenship tier? After all, having the ear of the last three Primarchs had to mean something of his abilities. "Shipmaster Oraka. Report," he rumbled, surveying the fidgeting low-ranked shipmaster in front of him with distaste.

"We have followed the fleeing lawbreaker vessel into this system. It appears that the unknown contact has sought refuge at a starport orbiting the third planet of this system,"

"And yet you have not interdicted them," he said dismissively. "Why, might I ask? Is your patrol fleet so ill-maintained that it was incapable of disabling a fleeing enemy vessel? A shot or two at the vessel's reactor would have finished the job _properly_. Now you have permitted these felons to escape to their hideout, where it will be more tedious to flush them out,"

He paused as he surveyed the video feeds that he received from the shipmaster. The blocky ship showed none of the refinements in design that the Council races had researched over the past two and a half thousand years. The materials in use must have been laughable, to have been shot through by a warning shot from a mere frigate. Even a poor deflector barrier on a mining ship could have stopped it.

"We received a transmission from their side, on all comms channels. It's a whole new species, Admiral. We aren't dealing with some lawless pirates from the Terminus. It-"

"Be that as it may," the admiral cut in harshly, "They still broke Citadel law inside our borders. The Hierarchy's own borders, shipmaster. Not the Asari Republics', or the Salarian Union's. Am I to assume that your willingness to uphold our laws is a shameful, barefaced attempt to shirk your duties, shipmaster? To the Hierarchy and its people? Need I remind you that indiscipline was not, is not, and _will not_ be tolerated in the Hierarchy. Is that clear, Shipmaster Oraka?"

Oraka's mandibles twitched a little in irritation before he ground out a surly, "No, sir. It will not happen again,"

"Indeed. Step back in line. The Seventh Fleet will get results where you were unwilling to,"

The unruly shipmaster looked half as though he was going to rebut with some worthless inanity, but thought better of it. The sloppy salute before the communications channels switched off would require a reprimand; but that could wait until a later date. Right now, however, he had the Hierarchy's honour to uphold. New contact or not, the Council's laws would need to be enforced.

At gunpoint, if that is what it took for newcomer primitives to understand them.

* * *

**Codex:****Terraforming Technologies**Terraforming was one of the discoveries that truly caused the Auri've Union to blossom. If a garden could be tended by shovel and pitchfork, and a farm with a mechanical tiller and tractor, then a planet could be tended to just the same - only on a greatly increased scale. Matter recombinators consumed vast amounts of energy, but could rehabilitate poor soils to something workable. Planetary-sized scalpels, both energy-based and mechanical-based, could reshape impassable mountain ranges and carve rivers, much like a shovel would to a plot of land. Greenhouse gases could be moved to a cold planet from gas giants, or produced in situ by instigating volcanic eruptions, allowing for raised temperatures if a planet were too cold. And if a planet were too hot, it was possible to skim greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or introduce thermal-reflective expensive for the most part to apply to an entire planet, these technologies were only applied in small scale on moon-based habitats and on larger paradise domes. It was far cheaper to only terraform part of a planet in a contained environment rather than all of it.

* * *

**A/N:**

It's a sad state of affairs when a country is so obsessed with growing the wealth of its elite at the expense of the overall welfare of the state. Power comes from below. You can have as much money as you like at the top, but when farmers close up shop and there's no more food to be had, we'll see then if credits truly are edible. Unfortunately, this is as much applicable to us in the present day as it is for the Systems Alliance in this story...

Anyway. First contact with the turians is bungled by an itchy trigger-finger and a glory hound of an admiral. Worse yet, the turians think that the Auri've Union's technically neutral port at Caer'ilith is where the humans came from. Will this continue escalating, or will cooler heads prevail? Find out more in the next chapter!

Now, for the reviews:

* * *

Coment9:

Yeah. In a way, this debate isn't fully settled yet either way. The crisis will come to a head soon in real life as well I think; the saying 'cogito, ergo sum' (I think, therefore I am) comes to mind. Is it not true that an AI that is capable of forming rational thoughts based on cognitive inputs, without any direct external intervention by its creators, technically alive? The only difference being that our circuitry is formed of neuron pathways, while theirs are formed of doped silicon. Regardless, the debate might settle on the fence for the Auri've. It always bothered me that the religious fanatics in Stellaris always had this thing against AI. I suppose if they were basing the religious fanatics on the WH40k Imperial Cult, then it would make sense – but who's to say there isn't some religion out there somewhere that venerates technology? I could definitely see Fallout's Brotherhood of Steel evolve into one of those.

AmanoRyo:

Well, we'll see, won't we?

Ghost777:

Turians and their manifest destiny vs humanity and their manifest destiny. Round one, fight! -ding-

Asari...eh. If their nervous systems are developed enough to pick up nerve signals on contact, imagine how bad it would be for them to touch an Auri've and attempt to pick it up when the fox people can transmit and receive from a distance. It'd be like putting your ear against a megaphone and having someone shout in it. The reverse would also be true, though, so I would imagine that it would be very painful for both involved. Salarians stealing tech? Not likely considering that the best stuff is still locked behind systems with no mass relay.

As for batarians invading the Auri've, that might be a bit difficult. They don't expand very far, and their territory is very, very heavily fortified. Small distances between their capital fleets and the outlying colonies would mean that reinforcements would come in the matter of hours, versus the usual days or weeks that the Alliance would. The small enclaves around Sun Temples in Alliance territory, however? Definitely fair game

skywardwanderer:

You'd be surprised at how much things change over time. The White Australia Policy was only fully repealed in 1973, and that was in the days before internet where ideas travelled more slowly and dissemination of ideas could only be done if they passed censorship. It took nearly twenty-five years for the policy to be completely dismantled. I would imagine that a species with instant contact at will with any of their own kind would develop opinions as a group far more quickly than that. Especially if the contact was peaceful by and large.

Also, yeah. Hypocrisy is a fact of life in politics. What's that? Opposition party is raising taxes again? HERESY! We got voted in? Cool. Let's fund our policies...using raised taxes.

Creaper:

I saw the videos on the lost amoeba thing. "Call it Fluffy and be done with it!"...yes, I will definitely do that if I got my own gigantic dreadnought-sized space amoeba...

Rationalism:

Herp derp, I cannot count x.x It's been fixed. Thanks for pointing it out, that was embarrassing.

British-Vulture:

The Winter War is a very fascinating part of history. Serve those 'Molotov breadbaskets' with some alcohol...preferably served straight into the radiators of tanks. I heard they're thirsty and like to drink petrol, and Finnish vodka is a close second :D


	5. 05 - Opening Salvos

When the first high-velocity slugs started tearing through the vast void, the particle shields over the starport slammed down in a luminous greenish-blue bubble. Tungsten met gaseous plasma, incinerating the slugs and causing the vaporised projectile to splash harmlessly against the durasteel armour plating of the starport. The first three volleys were met only with shields; but after the fourth one, the grandmistress of the Caer'ilith chapter of the Dawnbreakers ordered that the defensive emplacements on the starport to return fire.

It was the first time that harbourmaster Philip von Karlsbach had seen the Auri've fire their weapons in anger. The six domes on the corners of the starport's perimeter opened up like unrolling pillbugs back on Earth, revealing the massive guns inside. Covered in sleek plating and wrapped in two layers of additional particle shielding, each of them had three dark metallic prongs in place of the typical single barrel of typical kinetic guns. Bright red embers started to float into the void between the prongs, growing brighter and brighter until it blazed a blinding white.

And as they let loose on the attacking alien fleet, he could nearly _feel _the heat of the scorching scarlet beams that blazed through the void. The Alliance had hinted at directed energy weapons in the employ of the Union when he applied for this post, but to see the use of a 'particle lance' in person made him shiver in fear. The scanner on the console in front of him showed the massive radiation trail in the wake of the weapons' fury – and the annihilation of three of the fleet's smaller ships in blooms of superheated wreckage.

"Why...why has it come to this?" murmured his work partner forlornly, who had a hand clasped over her heart. "Never would I have thought...so many lives lost, and for what? Why would they attack? We already told them to stop firing!"

Rather than dissuading the attackers from pursuing their attack, the barrage on the starport intensified. The shield emitters' radiators glowed white-hot every time a fresh volley of shots impacted; flash-coolant roiled and sputtered as canisters upon canisters of them were dumped on the overheating coils, venting the heat as quickly as was possible. Yet despite the withering hail of inbound shot, the shields were holding firm – yet for how long could the starport stand its ground before a fleet with such overwhelming numbers?

* * *

"Spirits preserve us," mouthed Karis Oraka, as he witnessed the effects of the aliens' return fire. The fleet was firing at an extreme range, just barely within the maximum effective range of cruisers; Hierarchy fleet academy doctrine held that a time-to-target range of ten seconds to be the upper limit of range, beyond which misses could very well be expected. That in itself was quite a remarkable distance, considering that the _Strix _class cruiser could fling a shell at one percent of the speed of light.

Yet instead of returning fire with kinetic weapons as would be expected, the aliens fired back with _energy weapons_. Honest-to-ancestors energy weapons. No other weapon could strike with the unerring precision or near-instant time-to-target like the reddish-white beams that cleaved three cruisers next to his own into ragged quarters. His helm crew were struck speechless, watching silently as red-hot wreckage drifted past them.

Wreckage that slowly disgorged asphyxiated and charred corpses of turian marines, who were caught completely unprepared for either the sudden destruction of their vessel, or the explosive decompression following it.

"_HSV Magnus _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Corax _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Alae _destroyed. No lifepods detected," intoned the toneless voice of the command VI.

"Casualties are a fact of combat. There can be no victory without blood spilled," spoke the cold voice of Admiral Drusus through theatre comms. "Increase your rate of fire! We will drown these primitives in a torrent of fire!"

Karis clicked his mandibles angrily. Primitives? Was the admiral that blinded by pride, or did he not see that this foe that they stirred up had technology beyond the wildest dreams of even the Salarian Union?

His ship rocked as shot after shot rocketed out of the spinal mass accelerator. Streams of blue-shrouded shot from surrounding ships followed suit. The shields on the enemy's moon base took hit after hit, the bluish-green bubble flashing and flickering after every hit, yet it did not yield.

It took a whole minute before the six beams tore the inky blackness of the void again, this time striking two of the leading destroyers and the cruiser behind them. The shields on the cruiser did not even last a second before shorting out; the thick titanium-carbide alloy plate behind lasted for slightly more than a second and a half before boiling off in clouds of superheated plasma. The hull buckled and twisted in ways that no ship should be able to before tearing itself into chunks of tortured metal.

"_HSV Invidia _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Fortis _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Trebia _destroyed. No lifepods detected,"

The _Syphax_'s own mass accelerator had flung nearly twenty tungsten-uranyl armour piercing slugs in the same time. But what good did volume of fire do when one of those energy beams can annihilate a heavily armoured ship of the line? The data from his sensors indicated the enemy's blue-green shield bubble didn't even register on the gravitic sensors, meaning that it was either made without mass effect generators or that it was so efficient that it only warped gravity in its immediate area of effect. Neither possibility allowed for a good reading on its strength.

For all he knew, the shield could not be taking damage at all.

"Continue the barrage!" hollered the bloodthirsty admiral. "Avenge our losses! We will conquer this adversity, just as we have done countless times!"

Another six beams ripped through space, this time striking down three more cruisers. One of which was so close to his own ship that he could almost feel the heat of its onboard fission reactor going critical and detonating in a massive conflagration. Alarms blared when shards of the ruined ship's armour plates impacted on the kinetic barriers at high speed, bringing his shields down to seventy percent strength.

"_HSV Taetrus _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Epyrus _destroyed. No lifepods detected. _HSV Pheiros _destroyed. No lifepods detected,"

_Another fifty metres to the right and we would have been hit, _he realised.

"Orders, sir?" a nearby ensign asked, his voice quivering in fear.

The terrified face of the crewman struck too close to home for his liking. All of their faces were. Karis was a career soldier. A marine cadet since the age of fifteen. A lieutenant on graduation at twenty. Twenty-five years of service brought him to the rank of commander. And there he was for the last twenty years, a commander who would not graduate to a higher rank as he refused to leave his crew to the cock-sure ineptitude of new fleet academy graduates.

He knew that look well – _don't let me die here_. A universal fear that the young ones had.

Ones that would be court-martialled if they refused and thrown into a military brig for decades to come. Ones that did not have a good enough service record to have it overlooked and archived without incident. Ones that still dreamed and hoped for a future, perhaps to test their reach or flexibility with another lucky sweetheart back home. Ones that perhaps had hope to start a new nest back at home.

And he would be damned if he sacrificed the futures of the three hundred and seventy marines on his crew over this. Apprehending a ship tampering with a mass relay was legal. Firing upon said ship when it had not even shown hostile intent was not. The less said about bombarding a moon base without proper prior communications, the better. For all he cared, Admiral Drusus could go throw himself in the nearest star for his war crimes. He would not be party to this, and he would certainly allow his crew to do so either! And if he could get away with it, he would save his own crew from being killed in senseless violence.

Throwing down arms and powering down wasn't an option. He would be found out quite quickly and formally stripped of command. While he was certain his crew would remain loyal to him, he did not wish them to be branded mutineers. The shame and dishonour would last for the rest of their lives. But continuing to fire upon the supposed enemy was not an option either. Especially if he wanted himself and his crew to survive without being branded war criminals.

"Continue firing. The fleet admiral will not tolerate anything less than our best," Karis replied calmly. He made sure to quietly thumb the disconnect button on his console, making sure that the fleet command would not hear his next words. "Aim at parts of the starport's moon that aren't blocked by shields. If anyone asks in the future, just reply that the detonation of the _HSV Taetrus _caused our main gun's calibrations to be knocked out of alignment, and we could not recalibrate it in the heat of battle,"

The bridge fell silent as each man and woman present attempted to process what the commander had said. "Sir?" blurted out his executive officer, his mandibles splayed wide and a brow plate raised in surprise.

"Issue the updated targeting first. And resume firing. Then I will explain," Karis said. Once he was satisfied that the shots were landing just slightly off-target, he crossed his hands behind his back and walked towards the viewport.

"In case that you have not realised, this incident was based on a misunderstanding. One of our patrol fleet ships fired first, on an unarmed vessel. That in itself was a crime against Citadel Military Conventions. Then our good admiral here has decided to compound mistake upon mistake, and began bombarding a presumed neutral starport for not complying with our demands. Which, if I may remind you all, these new aliens would have as much capability of communicating with us as we have with them. Which is to say, absolutely none,"

He paused a little to compose himself for what he needed to say next. The Hierarchy was as strict as its name suggested. The orders of those above were absolute, and to disobey those orders was a social stigma almost as great as that of the quarians for unleashing the geth upon the galaxy.

"I will not have you all be party to this war crime. If disobedience to this illegal order by the Admiral is what it will take to keep my crew alive and their names clear, then I will accept the dishonour willingly and be solely responsible for whatever comes after. Signalman Vakarian, prepare a discreet message for the Primarch informing him of the mishandling of this situation, over closed channels. Thanks to the _admiral_-" he nearly spat out the title, "-we may have started a war that will cost thousands of turian lives. Let's not add any more meaningless losses,"

The bridge crew stood there, stunned. And then his executive officer saluted. Then the rest of the the crew. "It's been an honour, Commander Oraka," said Marcus Vakarian.

"Likewise, Vakarian. All right, all of you back to your stations,"

* * *

"Is it just me or is that one ship deliberately missing?" said an enginseer as she watched the sensor readings intently.

"They are. Defensive bastion five, we are designating one of the targets as a potential unwilling combatant. Focus fire on the others for now," said the blademistress next to her.

It had been nearly an hour and a half since the bombardment began, and the barrage had been unceasing. The recycled air inside the starport was starting to heat up as the overworked shield generators were dumping heat in any way they could. Two of the six particle lances had malfunctioned from excessive use, with misaligned accelerator rails threatening to tear the gun carriage apart if they tried to fire them again. Another three had been destroyed by the concentrated barrage of the enemy fleet, along with the bunkers housing them.

There were no survivors in either of the destroyed ones. Thirty Dawnbreaker enginseers perished in each one, firing defiantly to the last. The Hall of Memories shall receive their contributions to the tapestry of the Dawnbreakers' legacy in due time, thought Blademistress Zolerith. Though her hair was growing white with age, with her pushing nearly three hundred and ninety Earth-years of age, her mind was still as sharp as ever; and cell-rejuvenating serums kept her body at a more or less acceptable condition. Slower she may be relative to the younger Dawnbreakers, but her fury and experience greater than theirs.

But repulsing these invaders had to wait. The living must take precedence. Civilian transports had been departing with full loads of passengers every minute since the bombardment started. And now, the very last one was preparing to take off from the primary docking bay.

On the loading ramp of the dagger-shaped vessel stood a white-and-silver robed figure. Her censer was puffing out clouds of soothing scents; a great relief for those not used to the acrid stench of vaporised flash-coolant. All of the one hundred defenders that were to remain behind were kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed. Zolerith had to admit that she was pleasantly surprised that about two dozen armed humans were with them, though they stood to the side looking somewhat bemused.

Over their heads the Sister of Sunlight sprinkled blessed perfumed water with a sprinkler of bundled sweetgrass. Her eyes were radiant violet, like amethysts in firelight, as she walked among them. Her voice held a deeper overtone to its clear nature, as though a thousand voices were chanting at once using her as a conduit.

_Dark shroud of shadow over the horizon loom;  
__Arise, Auri's children, embers of flame divine!  
Let thy heart fear neither frigid night nor cruel doom,  
__For as surely as the dawn breaks, with thee am I!_

_Light's blade, strike deep at the heart of darkness wretched!  
__Sun as my stoic witness, stars as my judges stern,  
__Blessed courage shall guide us in our time of need!  
__With our eternal pledge, let the pyre of faith burn!_

"Praise be to Auri, whose glory is infinite and indisputable!" chanted the gathered bladedancers with zealous fervour, crossing clenched fists over their hearts. "We, who tread the path of twilight, praise your name! May you welcome us into your warm embrace when our vigil ends,"

And just like that, the Sister of Sunlight crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. Her attendants, already expecting the fall, threw themselves under her arms on both her sides; with deft hands they each caught her censer and sprinkler, while also supporting the unconscious priestess on their shoulders. She was bleeding quite profusely from her nose and ears, dutifully dabbed away by another acolyte that followed the group into the passenger ship.

"Well. That was...different," murmured the harbourmaster, who watched the entire event through the holographic surveillance camera in the docking bay. "I've attended a few of the sermons that the priestesses give, but that's the first time that I've seen them do something like...that,"

"Yes. The Lifespark was one of the last hymns bequeathed to us by the Prophet of Twilight," Zolerith answered softly, as she finished making a sacred gesture with her free hand. "It is a prayer offered to bolster the zeal of those who would face insurmountable odds, to ensure that their courage wavers not a whit. I'd hoped that I would not have to hear it incanted...but we must do as fate decrees. Some must fight so that others may live,"

Closing her eyes, Zolerith murmured a quiet prayer under her breath. When she opened her eyes again, the same purple flames burned within her eyes as the others. "Even unto death, we walk without fear, knowing that Auri stands by us for eternity and beyond,"

She then turned to face the harbourmaster. "You, however, have no need to be here. Neither are you a sworn defender of the light, or one without a loved one to return to. Go with the others aboard that ship. Live, so that others will know of what atrocity happened here,"

* * *

It was a well-known fact throughout the Citadel that turian marines were skilled in both boarding actions against enemy ships and assaulting hardened positions. Unrivalled in professionalism and efficiency, born out of incessant drills and backed by the largest military budget in the known galaxy, it was expected that the turians would defeat any known force of equal strength on an open battlefield. But a ruined moon base was no open battlefield, and neither was it a ship. Still, with an overwhelming numerical advantage and complete aerospace dominance – and not to mention the materiel advantage in their armoured vehicles – the turians fully expected a total victory.

One thousand marines touched down all around the ruined starport. A dozen medium _Scorpio _tanks had been deployed, as well as sixty _Thrax _IFVs. Five frigates were loitering above it, ventral armaments ready to provide fire support at a moment's notice, while one had landed nearby to act as a makeshift command post. The rest of the fleet was to capture the planet that the starport orbited around.

Saren Arterius was the commander of the ground assault marines. Here, facing the south side of the starport, he could only curse his luck. Though the enemy defences were completely shattered from what they could see from space, the landing zone that the admiral had picked was far from ideal.

There was hardly a stretch of concrete in the cargo depot that hadn't been pitted and cratered by the orbital bombardment. Shipping containers lay in twisted hulks, their contents strewn across the ground in smouldering heaps. Mounds of glimmering ore piles and gleaming ingots of an odd golden alloy were scattered across every open space, having been blasted out of their silos. Across from there, the alien spaceport's three floors all had balconies and windows overlooking the open terrain. Many of which, if not all, had at least waist-high walls.

Infantry could not possibly move through safely through there. A few heavy machineguns in ambush, or several snipers, and their casualty counts could easily go through the roof. And given the damage those heavy defensive turrets did on their fleet before being disabled, it would be a needless risk to send in the IFVs and the tanks into open depot. At the very least there was an atmosphere on this moon somehow; even if it was too thin to be breathable, their hardsuits could still pick up sound.

"Sixth cohort. Move towards the enemy base. Assume hostile presence still inside; keep your heads down and move from crater to crater. Fourth and seventh cohorts, the same orders apply for the north and east sides of the starport," Saren ordered.

Like any good turian commander, he marched in with the rest of his soldiers. Phaeston rifle at the ready, he scanned the balconies and windows of the starport all through the advance. There was a curious mix of smooth asari-like curves present in the structure, with the authoritative austerity of polished stone typical of high-tier Hierarchy municipal buildings. Silver floral decorations covered every part that he could see, glinting in the light of the tactical torches each marine had under his or her rifle. Just what sort of civilisation did they attack, that they could afford such lavish decorations on a starport? A heavily fortified one, at that?

Yet strangely, their advance turned out to be unhindered. Not a single shot was fired as they entered the central atrium. It seemed almost as vast as the docking bays in the Citadel; even the flashlights of the marine cohort seemed to do little to pierce the utter darkness inside the building. A dusty haze permeated the ground floor, limiting vision and preventing accurate readings from their thermal goggles.

"I don't like this. It's too quiet, and visibility is extremely poor. Smells of a trap," he muttered. "Seventh cohort, any sightings of hostiles?"

Silence met his ears for a while before a static-filled reply came. "Negative, commander. No resistance so far. Forward scouts have yet to report back,"

"Keep your eyes open. Take the building and hold position until we get the vehicles in place to provide support. If you find any alien survivors, take them prisoner if possible,"

The comms remained silent for a few seconds.

"Seventh cohort, do you copy?"

Still silence.

"Seventh cohort, do you copy?!"

The reply was delayed, and there was a hint of static in the background. "Copy, commander. And we have a situation. We're not alone here," the captain of the seventh marine cohort whispered, his voice quivering in terror. "We've found our scouts. Or what's left of them,"

* * *

**Codex:**

**Particle Lance**

The so-called 'Fingers of Twilight' fielded by the Auri've Union are weapons of terrifying power. A plutonium ingot is fed into an ignition chamber, where the metal is heated to a few million degrees centigrade while suspended inside a magnetic containment field. This disintegrates the ingot into a volume of highly energised plasma, which is then projected as a stream of ionised particles at nearly the speed of light while contained in a cylindrical magnetic 'tunnel'. This stream incinerates any physical matter in its way, heating them to incandescence within nanoseconds of impact. The resulting explosive ablation of matter also causes large amounts of collateral damage, capable of shearing small asteroids with a single shot.

To outside observers, the Particle Lance looks almost like a large red laser. However, as it delivers its energy payload by impact of high-energy particles and not a cohesive photon beam, it is technically a kinetic weapon that still interacts with kinetic barriers. Ablative or reflective armour does not function well against it, for the same reason. The enormous amount of kinetic energy contained within each particle, however, causes barrier projectors to fail spectacularly; the overload often causes eezo capacitors to detonate under stress, causing further injuries to crew even if the barriers somehow did not fail.

The downside to such a devastating weapon is the huge amount of waste heat each shot produces, and the energy required to fire them in the first place. It takes nearly a whole minute for a platoon of trained enginseers to draw the required power from the large aetherite crystals that power the devices, and the sprawling heatsink assemblies require immersion in Bose-Einstein condensates as flash coolant, both before and after a shot. The mass of the whole device prevents its use on anything smaller than a starport or a battleship-sized vessel's heavy emplacements, or perhaps a specially designed cruiser that accepts only a particle lance as its sole weapon.

Costing nearly as much as a fully equipped conventional cruiser to produce, these weapons are few and far in between.

* * *

A/N:

Turian soldiers beware, no Nuremberg defence for you! Also, monsters. Beware the monsters. Under the bed, in the dark, looking into you, looking out of you. The monster is within you!

* * *

force200:

Lol, I love it! XD

Coment9:

Perhaps. I'm not a fan of describing slugfests, but we'll see.

AmanoRyo:

Hindsight is 20/20, or so they say...

ghost777:

Lol. Sounds like a Gate fic about to happen. Maybe a spinoff?

Minato the Deathly Fool:

Thank you for the vote of confidence! I'll certainly try to make it as good as I can.

Narsauce:

Perhaps, or perhaps not. Would it be considered uplifting? The humans would have to start the research first and progress some way along it before the Auri've would even consider helping.

AC 101:

We're pretty divided as a species, actually. Still, it's more than plausible that the ones directly benefiting from Auri've to return the favour.


	6. 06 - In Shades of Grey

As soon as the word of an impending invasion was broadcast back to the Alliance, the fleets moored at Arcturus Station were scrambled immediately. The news of a human exploration vessel being fired upon for no reason – and nearly destroying it – incensed a great multitude among the ambassadors of the human nations. Most clamoured for an immediate military action; and on hearing of the alien fleet besieging the Union colony of Caer'ilith, the humans had the location to release their wrath.

Some would claim that the swift action was based on compassion. There were, after all, quite many humans who had taken Auri've paramours and wives, and they would have demanded something to be done.

Honourable diplomats pointed out their mutual defence treaty obligations. With only one major neighbour that was friendly, the Alliance stood to lose much if they shirked their pledge of mutual protection when the need arose.

Mercantile executives urged them to move quickly, before the Auri've Union's supplies of cheap base metals would dry up as their foundries cranked out weapons of war instead. The outermost human colonies – and indeed, humanity's colonies as a whole – could not possibly remain so profitable without an inexpensive source of plentiful raw materials.

And no matter who looked at it, they could agree on one thing. If the Union fell, then who could say the Alliance would not be next?

It would be in humanity's best interests to engage the alien fleet while they were being stalled by the Union's partially upgraded defences at Caer'ilith. From what the resident Lifesinger said, the garrison at Caer'ilith spaceport should be able to delay the aliens' overwhelming fleet for three hours without any friendly fleet support.

That was three hours ago.

The Auri've Union's own defense squadrons were already en route, but that would still take six more hours to arrive.

Time that they did not have. But time that the Alliance could buy, given their proximity to the besieged Auri've system. Perhaps even win the defense, if they were quick enough with deployment. Should they lose, however, the battle would turn into a gruelling ground battle on the planetary surface. One that would inevitably be a months-long, if not years-long siege; the Auri've did not exactly keep it secret that there was a vast network of tunnels running through the surface of the terraformed planet. A guerrilla war executed there would be nigh impossible to win without incredible numerical superiority.

Well. Unless the enemy had no compunctions about using weapons of mass destruction liberally on the planet and glassed it from orbit.

Admiral Kastanie Drescher grimaced at the thought of that. She'd saved up her shore leave time along with her weeks of long service leave in order to enjoy a two-month vacation on what she heard were the 'finest beaches in the known galaxy'. It would be a shame if those were spoiled by a little bit of radioactive fallout by a stray nuke, or churned up by a protracted groundside campaign. But if it did come to that – well, there was something to be said about the stress-relieving properties of setting off very large explosions. Perhaps she would pay a visit to the enemy aliens' homeworld if her beach vacation was to be spoiled by this untimely invasion.

"Ma'am, the Auric chaplain aboard the ship is very distressed," reported her aide-de-camp. "She says that the last defence turrets in the Caer'ilith spaceport have been disabled by enemy bombardment, and that the enemy fleet is now surrounding the planet in a blockade,"

"Wonderful. Just my luck," she muttered under her breath. Maybe she could make use of the _Armageddon-_class fifty-megaton thermonuclear torpedoes after all. "Advise all ships to go as fast as they can. I don't care if we have to burn through most of our fuel in afterburners to get there in time to assist, but make it happen. Resupplies can happen later, a chance to catch our enemies unaware will certainly not! Double time! Send out the order!"

"Aye, admiral!"

* * *

Saren thought that he had seen many things during his time serving in the Hierarchy's armed forces. Soldiers losing limbs on defeating pirate raids? Unfortunate, but normal. Deaths in action? Acceptable losses. Sacrificing part of oneself to ensure that the mission succeeds? A laudable effort.

What sorry wreck awaited him on rendezvousing with the seventh cohort of the marine legion, however, disturbed him.

The five scouts were whimpering uncontrollably while curled up, like some grist-nibbling chicks that had yet to leave their mothers' side. Their armour still shone in the light, as could be expected of a freshly cleaned and maintained hardsuit. Their weapons lay on the ground, seemingly forgotten. Stooping over to check them, Saren found that their rifles still held a full charge and unused ammunition blocks, indicating that not even a single shot had been fired at an enemy.

If these were auxilia fresh from basic training, he could understand their cowardice. Yet three of them were veteran centurions with twenty years of service!

"Optio. Report," Saren said, trying his hardest not to kick the sorry wastes of space on the floor.

"Not much more to say here, Legate. We discovered them like this, and haven't been able to get any answers out of them since. It's been the same – they keep muttering about monsters that only they could see,"

Insanity from witnessing traumatic events wasn't something that Saren was unfamiliar with. Hastatim squads in the Taetrus Rebellions often returned with a proclivity for drink and an intense dislike of popping noises similar to gunfire. Yet given how disciplined the Hierarchy's youth were, he found it hard to believe that five scouts would succumb to madness at the same time. One or two, perhaps; but definitely not all five. "Check your suit seals," he said, "Maybe the enemy is deploying nerve agents of some sort. Medicae, scan the area for any contaminants,"

The soldiers with white hardsuits immediately complied, activating their omni-tools and sweeping them left and right. After a minute or two, however, they shook their heads and deactivated the scans.

"Results are negative, sir. There's nothing aside from a low-density atmosphere consisting of breathable gases,"

"Then...what could have caused this?"

A bloodcurdling shriek pierced the local comms. "No...no! Stay away! Get away from me!" one of the younger scouts whimpered, batting at empty air with his talons. When one of the medicae attempted to restrain him, the poor youth was struck full across the mandible with an audible crack; the medicus tumbled to the ground, his helmet cracked and leaking air. "No! Stay back!"

The apparently insane scout began to clutch at his own throat. His talons found no purchase on the hardened carbon fibre fabric of his undersuit, yet the poor creature kept trying to claw at his throat regardless. After a few more seconds of fruitless scrabbling, he eventually shuddered and went rigid. His eyes closed – and then reopened, blazing with an inner purple fire.

"Invaders," he droned, his voice flat and free of any emotion or inflection. "Heathens. Turn back from this world. Your bloodthirsty race is unwelcome on this hallowed ground,"

"What kind of insanity is this?" blurted out the commander of the seventh cohort, gripping his rifle tighter. "Caeso, snap yourself out of it!"

"His will is but a feeble ember in the face of an infinite tide. Do you truly believe that your senseless bleating is going to ignite that into an inferno?" snorted the possessed turian. "Again, I repeat. You are unwelcome here, infidels. Turn back from this world, and we may yet show you mercy,"

Saren let out a sudden bark of cold laughter. "Mercy? Look around you. We control the airspace. It would be easy enough to bombard your position to dust,"

There was no reply, but the possessed scout raised his arm jerkily to point a single talon at Saren. His mandibles and jaws were splayed wide in a twisted, mocking grin. "A position in which you also stand. Empty words from a honourless worm. I see this creature's memories. You are a decorated officer of this...Turian Hierarchy. A soldier that has seen much bloodshed among your own kind. Putting down a rebellion for independence, solely for the benefit of those at the very peak of your vicious society. Perhaps you need a reminder of how tenuous a house built upon blood is,"

A flash of purple. A pair of blazing eyes. A stab of agony in his mind. A brief thought that he could see everyone around him screaming in pain as they all fell down.

Saren fell to his knees, clutching his head. Visions flashed before his eyes.

The quelling of the rebellion on Taetrus, where his commanding officer was accidentally blown up by a grenade. The thrower was another centurion in the fifth cohort. How his drillmaster had beaten his best friend to within an inch of his life for failing to rise in time for the morning inspection. How one of the legates sent Saren on a dangerous mission on a police action on Thrakia III, knowing that it was nearly certain death without reinforcements – and yet did so anyway.

Countless more of the horrible visions assailed his mind. How many, he knew not; but at the end of it, even he despaired.

Yet the visions faded almost as suddenly as they had come. And when Saren picked himself up again, he could see that everyone in the cohort had been affected. Some lay on the ground, their eyes stuck gazing at something in the distance while their jaws hung limp. Others quivered while curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. A few were fighting each other, snarling profanities as they sought to correct some long-forgotten slight.

"How fascinating. One that can resist the malefic visions of their past," mused the voice. "Very well. I had hoped to subdue your entire force without further bloodshed. But as needs must..."

A greenish-white beam erupted in the darkness, coalescing into the shape of a long blade with a snap-hiss. Soon followed by dozens. Their glow illuminated the forms of their wielders, who resembled eerie hooded phantoms in the darkness. Behind them were other forms, carrying what could only be rifles in their hands.

If rifles' barrels glowed with sickly green light and arced verdant lightning.

Before Saren could even shout 'ambush' into his comms, the enemy was upon them. Bolts of deadly green plasma ripped through the air, striking down dozens with the initial volley. In the corner of his eye, he saw his second-in-command struck squarely on the chestplate of his armour. His shield flashed brightly for the briefest of moments before the shield emitters exploded in a shower of sparks.

His screech of agony was as brief as it was horrifying. The advanced _Praetor_-class hardsuit, proven to be hardened against glancing shots from anti-materiel rifles in countless prior battles, was not penetrated by the directed energy bolt. Yet perhaps failure would have been a greater mercy, for the outermost layer of the armour simply melted like wax in the sun – and heated the inner layers white-hot, roasting the unfortunate trooper alive in his armour. Hot enough to ignite turian flesh, blood and bone, until the trooper was nothing but smouldering ash inside a still-glowing hardsuit.

Who would have thought that ablative coating was a necessity beyond starship armour, Saren thought grimly, as he dived behind a nearby counter for cover. "Legionaries! Find cover and return fire!" he barked into the comms.

Caught flat-footed, unaware and with so many seemingly succumbed to madness, the remaining combat-ready turian soldiers were quickly taken down. Many fell to the deadly bolts of plasma, which thankfully still possessed the very poor rate of fire that seemed to plague the surface-to-space cannons of the spaceport. Others, however, found that the aliens moved with supernatural grace and agility, capable of seemingly dodging slugs mere split-seconds before triggers were pulled. More than once, soldiers gawked when bullets were quite literally deflected right before their eyes.

Severed limbs soon hit the floor as the blade-wielding aliens surged forward. The much-touted turian discipline could do little with so many soldiers incapacitated, including countless officers. Firing on targets already mixed in within the ranks of the turians risked friendly fire, and thus the soldiers still standing resorted to using their omni-blades to engage in close-quarters battles – or omni-blade bayonets, if they were fortunate enough to have been issued shotguns.

The aliens' focus on melee combat quickly took its toll. Turian soldiers, though unstoppable on an open battlefield with ample materiel support, proved to be far less than adequate in handling such a deadly close-up threat. Neither armour nor shields could resist the deadly glowing swords, nor the plasma projectiles of the enemy. The three cohorts under Saren's command were nearly incapacitated to the last man before friendly armour and the converging troops from other parts of the spaceport arrived to relieve the ambushed forces.

Yet the aliens simply broke off their assault and faded back into the depths of the shadowed spaceport, laying down dwindling amounts of covering fire as they retreated.

"Legate? What are your orders?" asked a commander of an approaching squad.

Saren ground his mandibles together. The aliens had taken their pound of flesh yet again – and the Hierarchy's honour would demand nothing less than vengeance for those lives lost. Yet Saren was not a fool. The gibbering wrecks on the floor – strangely unharmed even through all the violence of the moments prior – was proof that they had some way of incapacitating large numbers of incoming troops without warning. Their directed-energy small arms easily ripped through the heaviest infantry hardsuits that the Hierarchy could provide. Worse yet, sensor scans were completely blocked by the bulk of the spaceport, rendering them effectively blind inside the lightless building. For an enemy with an apparent doctrine of hit-and-run raiding tactics, this advantage was one that could not be ignored.

Checking his omni-tool only confirmed his concerns. Thirty-seven of his soldiers were dead, with nearly two hundred incapacitated and likely will be discharged from the military. Many more were in questionable mental state. That was nearly a third of the ground assault troops out of the action. Another engagement such as that was unacceptable.

"We retreat from the spaceport," he barked out. "Call down four frigates for medical evac for the incapacitated. The rest of us will form a perimeter to ensure nobody escapes. I will request Admiral Drusus to glass the spaceport,"

* * *

"I don't believe it. That son of a varren wants the fleet to do _what_?!" thundered Shipmaster Oraka. "Attacking a neutral spaceport of a new contact is already bad enough, but to level it just because the occupants defended themselves? This has gone too far,"

Many of the marines under Oraka's command nodded grimly, echoing their captain's thoughts. This would be yet another violation of the Citadel Conventions. One that would stain the honour of their fleet for years, if not decades, to come. Attacking a neutral spaceport was already bad enough. Destroying the surface-to-space weapon emplacements could have been considered justifiable use of force – if one neglected to consider that said weapons emplacements had only fired back after simply shielding against multiple incoming shots. Destroying a facility that was clearly a civilian cargo and passenger port, just because it contained some remnants of the enemy's military? That was going too far.

The enemy was subdued without the surface-to-space armaments. The Hierarchy held complete control of the airspace. What could the troops on this barren moon even do? There was absolutely no strategic reason whatsoever to commit to such wanton cruelty.

A ping from his omni-tool forced him to look away from the sight of cruisers moving into position for orbital bombardment. He sighed in relief as the orders he received were not the ones he'd expected. "Helm, move to land on the north side of the facility. We are to rescue any incapacitated soldiers from this _invasion_," he grumbled. "Inform the medicae corps onboard to bring medical kits for both levo- and dextro-based species. I will not have any of the crew under my direct command commit any war crimes. See to it that they are made aware of the order to not harm any unarmed non-Hierarchy personnel they encounter,"

* * *

A/N:

The muse does as the muse will, and unfortunately the muse has been off chasing random butterflies T.T

Anyway. To the reviews!

coduss: Yeah, pretty much. It even happens in regular Stellaris if you play a tall pacifist empire. Good when behind that maginot line of super upgraded starbases with a bazillion defence platforms...not so good if the defences aren't fully set up.

Connor Ohlander: When your society revolves around following orders and treating the commands from above as absolute, you've got problems when any level of finesse is required.

Fokusas: Materiel wise, not really. The particle lances in this setting are **incredibly **expensive weapons. One of them along with the cooling system and the energy source I imagine to cost as much as 2-3 Citadel-spec standard cruisers. Think of the Turian Hierarchy having swarms of destroyers (frigates) and cruisers that are chock-full of T1 and T2 equipment. Naked corvette spam works if you have enough of them, and the Hierarchy definitely isn't hurting for manpower as a whole.

ghost777: One would imagine so, yes. There's nothing that spurs progress faster than a war, as unfortunate as it is.

Uberch01: In my imagination, Mass Effect mass drivers are somewhere between T2 and T3 ballistics. They're essentially rapid-fire ballistics with light shells and very high muzzle velocity (thanks to reduction of mass). Humans are adaptive, but we also have this concept of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Seeing as humanity has evolved along the Mass Effect tech base, where weapons are ballistics, they would likely see a catch-up to the energy weapons of the Auri've as a wasteful proposition. I see them as developing weapons using engineering instead of physics, therefore missiles and ballistics.

CReaper210: Thanks! The Auri've generally don't care about anything beyond their immediate surroundings. I don't envision them as a race that would chase an enemy beyond their home borders.

Narsauce: Mm, uplifting in my opinion also covers tech sharing. Anything that would cause the humans to develop along lines that they would otherwise not, had they not been introduced to artifacts from the Union. However, arguably even coming into contact with a foreign culture/species would also cause them to develop in a reactionary manner, hence making that rather questionable regardless.

ElusiveGuest: Yeah, it's not really an angle that's often explored. The way I see it is, doing an unprovoked attack while acting as the 'peacekeepers' of a galactic confederacy is definitely going to ruin the Turians' credentials. Attacking the belligerent Krogan during the Krogan Rebellions? Fair game, they started it. Attacking a race that's minding its own business (and doesn't even know about the Citadel)? I can see a lot of Asari getting up in arms about the unprovoked attack.

Mr Medan: Humans generally always find something or another to fight about :P But sometimes the lure of profits can outweigh the fear of the unknown. When there's a massive source of cheap materials out there, it would be lunacy to provoke a war when greater benefits can be had through cooperation. Especially when that source is relatively friendly.

blackdog420: In a way, I don't think so. The Turian Hierarchy (and mass effect races in general) heavily rely on numbers to get anything done. It would make sense that to get the numbers up, they cut corners on quality and tech. Note that the Turian Hierarchy has a pretty bad economy in canon, and it wouldn't make sense to have every ship Silaris-plated with Salarian-spec weapons and point defence. They're more akin to a naked corvette spam than anything.


End file.
